


Rivals To Be Determined

by Sidekick_Theory



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Angst, F/F, Fluff, Gay Sex, Light-Hearted Jokes, Love/Hate, M/M, Magic, Quidditch, Rivialry, other ships will be present too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-25
Updated: 2016-05-08
Packaged: 2018-04-17 03:24:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 56,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4650432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidekick_Theory/pseuds/Sidekick_Theory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>FC Barcelona Harry Potter AU.<br/>A wizarding school in Brazil closes forcing Neymar and Rafinha to transfer to Hogwarts in their 5th year. Up until Neymar’s transfer, Leo’s Hufflepuff Quidditch team have won the cup every year, and Leo won’t stand to let anyone ruin their streak, not even the new cocky, Gryffindor seeker, Neymar, who seems to be invading all aspects of his life. Guest appearance’s from the rest of the Barca team, Real Madrid players as the evil Slytherins, and USA women’s team as the girls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Sweet Depature

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said, I had been reading a lot of old Ziam Harry Potter fics before I got inspired for this. I really love the concept, and I hope I do it justice. Enjoy!

“I just don’t understand why they had to close,” Neymar whined, throwing yet another set of robes into his trunk. 

“Neymar, we’ve been over this a hundred times. They couldn’t afford to keep it open with the lack of students this year. It’s a shame, but there was nothing more we could do,” Neymar’s father explained in a gloomy tone. “Now, I don’t want to hear another word about it. Hogwarts is a great school, and your mother and I had to make a lot of sacrifices for you to go here, so stop complaining. You and Rafinha can have a good time there for the next two years, you just have to give it a chance.” 

His father gave him stern looks as he spoke. He didn’t like the idea of Neymar being so far from home either, but this was their only option. After his Alma mater had to be shut down, Hogwarts was the only Wizarding School willing to let the few attendees from the retired school transfer. That’s why Neymar Sr., Neymar, and Rafinha currently sat in a hotel in London, waiting to catch the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. 

“Plus,” Rafinha decided to add, “Dani and Adriano are gonna be there. They’ve been going there for seven years, and they still enjoy it, so it can’t be that bad. And they’ll definitely help us transition into everything.” 

It was true that their friends, Dani and Adriano, had opted to go to the prestige’s England school instead of the Brazilian one when they turned 11. Neymar and Rafinha had gotten letters from Hogwarts a year after them, but their parents wanted them to stay close, so Dani and Adriano had gone on their merry way together overseas. 

They would come back every summer with grand stories about the school, but Neymar was never tempted to leave Brazil. And now that he was being forced to, he felt an even greater reluctance. He knew Hogwarts was a better school, and that he would get better opportunities in life if he went there, but his closeness to his family held him back. He didn’t like the idea of being so far away from them, but the words of his father about all the sacrifices they had to make, made him stop his pity party and finish packing.

“Yeah, and besides I hear they’re pretty good at Quidditch, so it can’t be all bad,” Neymar admitted, closing his trunk.

“See!” Rafinha exclaimed excitedly. “That’s the spirit! Just think, by this time next month we’ll be fully settled into a team and winning all the matches! Then, you’ll get picked up for one of the professional teams over there and forget all about Brazil and its inhabitants. Just you wait you overconfident, brilliant, little jerk!”

Neymar shook his head fondly and walked over to Rafinha to swing his arm around his shoulder. “Oh, don’t be dramatic! You’re gonna get picked up, too! And I could never forget about Brazil, I’d much rather play for them than one of those rich teams.” Neymar raised his eyebrows sighing, “But then again the money wouldn’t hurt.”

Rafinha playfully shrugged his arm off, laughed, and slapped Neymar lightly on the head. “You big goof! Of course you’d love to play for one of these teams. You rooted for Ronaldinho’s team when he came over here excessively for years! You used to dream of playing beside him, always talked about it. Now’s your chance to be noticed by all those teams, so don’t blow it!”

Neymar Sr. interrupted them with another stern face, “But also focus on your studies boys, there’ll come a day when Quidditch isn’t enough to get you by.” 

“Yes Pai, I know, I know, you remind me constantly. We will study, too. Especially Mr.-Smarty-Pants over here, his studies are all he knows. I told you before, right? That Rafa here actually skipped a match to study for his Herbology test,” Neymar teased, flicking Rafinha’s ear.

Rafinha yelped and answered back, “That was one time! It was a big test that counted for a fourth of my final grade! If you were in the higher classes, you’d understand why I needed to study. Plus, you won that game anyways! Didn’t you set the record for the fastest catch of the snitch that game?”

Neymar smiled cockily and replied, “Why yes, I did. I’m just that amazing when you aren’t playing with me. Hopefully we’ll get in different Divisions, or whatever, so we’re not on the same team.”

“They’re called Houses, and I doubt we will since you’ll definitely get into Slytherin, the evil House.” Rafinha stuck his tongue out at him, prompting Neymar to tackle him onto the bed. They rolled around for a while until Neymar Sr. stopped them to tell them to go to bed. They broke apart laughing as they settled into their individual beds. Neymar Sr. then used magic to move all their baggage into an orderly fashion and shut off the lights.

Neymar and Rafinha went to sleep excited for what tomorrow would bring.

 

It took them a little longer than they wanted to find platform 9 ¾, but after Rafinha witnessed a very big, very cute, blond kid disappear through a brick wall, they realized their mistake of looking for mundane trains. They quickly followed the kid through the charmed wall only to find themselves next to the Hogwarts Express with hundreds of wizard families mulling around. 

“Well, this is it boys,” Neymar Sr. said. “Make sure to keep the bag with your robes with you so you can change before you arrive, and just don’t cause any trouble while you’re there. I promise you kids that you’re gonna have a good time this year. You’ll come home to see us at Christmas, and they have school owls there for you to write us.” He smiled at both of them sadly and nodded his head. 

Rafinha stepped up first to hug him. “Thank you for bringing me, Senor. My parents will surely send you something from wherever they have traveled. But if they send you one of their dragon eggs, do not hesitate to give it away. They just don’t understand normal parents.” They both laughed as they broke apart after one last squeeze. Rafinha stepped back to grab his trolley and guided it to one of the baggage drop offs. 

Neymar was next to step up to his father and hug him fiercely, burying his face into the comfort of his shoulder. He ignored the nagging feeling in his mind telling him that at 16 he shouldn’t need this long of a hug, and instead whispered, “I’m going to miss you so much.”

“Me too,” his father agreed.

“I’m going to write you all the time, I promise.”

“Looking forward to it.” They pulled apart to smile at each other. Neymar gave him a wave as he grabbed his trolley and turned to find Rafinha. He ignored the stinging in his eyes as he dropped his bags off and walked down the platform in search. 

Luckily it didn’t take long, for after about 10 yards, Neymar felt someone jump on his back. He immediately grasped their legs and tried to turn his head to see who it was. He then heard a familiar laugh and a loud exclamation of, “Junior!” before he felt warm lips press a sloppily kiss to his cheek. 

Neymar let out a remark of, “Eww, Dani!” as he felt the older Brazilian boy slide off his back. 

“Look who I found, Ney!” Rafinha exclaimed, coming up behind Dani. Adriano was just a step behind them, shaking his head and laughing. He walked over to Neymar and embraced him in a hug as he chided, “Idiots, the lot of you.” Next, Dani pulled all of them into a hug, squeezing as hard as he could. 

Neymar laughed as they broke apart. “Dani, you can’t just come up and kiss me like that! People will think I’m gay,” Neymar whispered shouted.

Dani gave him a confused look, “But I thought you were gay?”

“Yes, but I don’t want them thinking I’m gay for you,” Neymar joked. Rafinha and Adriano laughed as Dani feigned hurt and put Neymar in a head lock, knocking his cap off. Neymar got out of it by pinching Dani’s side, making him yelp and loosen his grip enough to slip out. He picked his cap of the ground and placed it firmly back on his head backwards. 

Dani bumped his shoulder as they made their way to the train door. “Ya know, I think you actually got skinner, you slid out of that way to easily.”

“Or maybe you just got weaker, ever think of that?” Neymar retorted. They clambered up the steps in loud thumps. Once up the stairs, Neymar was shocked to see so many kids that were on the train, too. He thought that the amount outside was outrageous, but now he couldn’t even begin to imagine how many kids actually went there. At his old school, Neymar had known every kid that went there, now he wondered if he would know every kid in his year.

Dani guided them to a mostly empty compartment. After kicking out two second years, they took it for themselves. They settled in nicely, waiting for the rest of the kids to board. Within 20 minutes, they were on their way. 

Once they finished reminiscing about their summers, he and Rafinha started asking questions about the school. Dani and Adriano patiently answered all of them. They explained that there was four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. They would be sorted into one of those Houses tonight with the rest of the transfers and the first years. Dani and Adriano were in Gryffindor, so they could only explain extensively about that House, while the others were labeled, the pricks-next-door House, the smart pricks House, and the pricks House. 

They explained other things like prefects, classes, Hogsmeade visits, and other general things briefly. They spent most of their time letting the newbies in on what they deemed ‘The Important Stuff’ like where secret passageways were, what classes you could sleep through and still ace the test the next day, who they should be friends with, and who was good at Quidditch. Neymar was surprised to know that there was one co-ed team per House. At his old school, there had been a league with other schools that they played in, one for boys and one for girls. Dani insisted that there was no drop off in the ability of the girls, some of them were better than the boys even. 

“Like for instance, Hope Solo is the Gryffindor Keeper. She’s already signed with a professional Quidditch team, and it’s just general knowledge that she’s the best Keeper at school. Ask anyone, even the other Keepers agree.”

“Or Carli Lloyd,” Adriano added. “She’s the best Chaser in Ravenclaw. Can score from anywhere that women. Don’t try to ask her out, though. She’s got a boyfriend on the Bulgarian team, and she doesn’t appreciate stalkers. Ronaldo pursued her for weeks, and he ended up in the hospital wing because she hexed him. Apparently he wouldn’t leave her alone one day so she just got sick of it and cursed him. That really humiliated him, so he finally stopped.”

“Wow sounds harsh,” Rafinha commented. “Do we like this Ronaldo guy?”

Dani and Adriano looked at Rafinha incredulously, then they turned to face each other and burst out laughing.

“Do we,” Dani said between laughs. “Like Ronaldo? Oh, you’re so funny Rafa, seriously a gem!”

“No,” Adriano finally answered once he calmed down. “We do not like Ronaldo. He’s an arrogant little prick that stands for all the evil things Slytherin is. He’s their seeker and sadly your competition, Ney. He thinks he’s entitled to everything because of his status. He’s hated most at the school, but luckily we haven’t crossed direct paths with him, so he’s not number one on our hate list.”

“Who is number one?” Neymar asked.

“That would be Lionel Messi.”

“Oh, get out of here, Adriano! Just because he’s Professor Guardiola favorite student and you’re not doesn’t mean we hate the guy,” Dani chided Adriano, who huffed and crossed his arms. Dani turned to Neymar, “We don’t hate Leo, he’s not our favorite guy, but he’s far from being unliked. He’s the Hufflepuff Seeker, and a bloody good one at that. He’s won every game he’s ever played in, making his House the holder of the cup all seven years he’s been there. He’s annoyingly humble, but also fiercely competitive, so most other players hate him for that reason. So yes, we hate him on the field, but no, we don’t hate him outside the pitch. Like I said, he’s the Transfiguration Professor Guardiola’s favorite student, and I have had the great pleasure of being in that class with him since I started going here. Our class was always treat better than the others, so we got less work and stuff. Adriano didn’t have that kind of luck, so he had to drop that class this year.”

“It’s so unfair! Guardiola is so far up Leo’s ass that I’m surprised he’s even able to board a broom!” Adriano exclaimed angrily. Dani just chuckled at his outburst, rolling his eyes. An uneasy silence fell upon them until someone opened their compartment door.

“Anything from the trolley, dear?” A kind looking old lady asked, wheeling a big trolley around with mountains of candy on it. Neymar and Rafinha’s eyes widened at the amount of choices they had. They watched as Dani and Adriano took money out of their pockets to buy the sweets. They went over to the trolley first to pick out their choices. Rafinha and Neymar followed suit, taking out their own money.

Just after Rafinha had finished paying and Neymar was about to order, a young boy came running down the aisle to the trolley. His floppy brown bangs fell into his eyes as he came to a stop next to Neymar. He swept them away with a flick of his hand to reveal piercing brown eyes that were so dark they looked black. The coloring might have been enhanced because of the black sweater that the boy wore above grey sweatpants, both items looking obviously too big for him. His complete debauched look would usually have turned Neymar off in a heartbeat, but for some reason, he found himself oddly attracted to the boy, even thinking that the look worked for him.

But his voice, his voice is what really struck a chord in Neymar. He watched as the boy handed the old lady two sickles saying, “You gave me back too much, Mrs. Wells,” with a shy smile on his face. His voice was slow and precise in its tone. Neymar could only think of how beautiful it sounded as the lady, Mrs. Wells, took the money back saying, “Oh, did I? I don’t know where my mind is today. Thank you, Leo.” But then again, beautiful wasn’t the right word. He had associated the words together too often. No, sexy was the word to describe the sound that came from the boys mouth so easily as he answered, “It’s the one of the only days of the year you have to deal with a bunch of kids, your mind is allowed to be somewhere else. Don’t worry about it though, the pleasures all mine.” 

Again Leo flashed her smile. The lady blushed as she said, “Oh here, just because you were so nice to bring it back, take anything from the cart, my treat.”

“Well thank you, Mrs. Wells, but I’m alright.”

“No, no take something. You went through all that trouble, you deserve something.”

“Well, alright fine,” Leo replied, all too quickly looking away from the lady to focus on the candy. As if realizing for the first time that he was being watched, he looked up at Neymar finally. Neymar gasped, feeling the intensity of the boy’s eyes on him for the first time. They pierced his skin and left open wounds all over where they traveled. The severe cut from Neymar’s head to his feet got deeper as Leo checked him out. Twice. 

Their stare down was to be interrupted, though, by Mrs. Wells asking Neymar, “Do you want anything?” Neymar immediately snapped his attention to her quickly.

He stuttered as he answered, “Yes-s I would like Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored Beans and, um, a cauldron cake.” He quickly took the sweets from her hands and handed over the coins.

“No lemon drops.”

“What?” Neymar questioned, turning to the brown-haired inquirer.

“Lemon drops. They’re a kind of Muggle candy that made it into the wizarding world by chance. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes happened upon them one day, so they enhanced the product by making it even sourer. I here was just observing your lack of appreciation for them,” Leo explained a matter-of-factly. He raised an eyebrow as Mrs. Wells wheeled the trolley farther down the aisle. Neymar noticed then that Leo had taken his own bag of lemon drops.

Neymar gave him a confused look and flicked his eyes up and down Leo’s body again, “I‘ve never heard of them before, and now that you explain their flavor, I realize I’m not really in a sour mood.” 

Leo smiled at him for his pun. “Awe, well I’d say with that attitude you are, but hey, what do I know.”

“I don’t know, what do you know?” Neymar bantered back, leaning slightly forward into Leo’s personal space. He noticed now that the boy looked alarmingly pale in the black sweater. His hair and eyes also added to the contrast to make Leo seem even whiter. 

“I know,” Leo murmured softly to Neymar. “That we are almost at school, so we both better go put our robes on. And, as a prefect,” Leo took a step closer and trailed his free hand along the brim of Neymar’s cap, “I know that hats aren’t allowed to be worn at school.” With a flick of his hand, Leo sent Neymar’s hat flying off his head and into the Brazilian’s compartment. Neymar had a second to see the mischievous glint in Leo’s eyes as his own hands flew up to cover his hair. Leo smirked at him, turned around, and walked away back down the aisle.

Behind him, Neymar heard a low whistle sound. He turned to see Rafinha twirling his cap, Dani smirking at him, and Adriano glaring at him. 

“What?” Neymar asked, blushing as he sat back down and let the door slide shut. 

“You’re here a day, a DAY, and you already flirted with someone!” Rafinha exclaimed.

Dani began, “And not just anyone, no, that was…”

“Lionel Messi,” Adriano finished bitterly as Dani rolled his eyes.

“That was him?” Dani nodded his head. “Oh well, he seems like cool guy, like ah, he doesn’t seem mean or anything…” Neymar’s voiced died out as Dani laughed loudly at him. 

“That’s because you want in his pants now!” Everyone else joined in with his laughter as Neymar rolled his eyes. “No, no, Leo’s not mean, just a little annoying sometimes, and surprisingly shy, which I didn’t notice there ironically. He seemed pretty into you, too though, and I’ve never seen him flirt like that.”

“Oh, shut up! That was barely worth called flirting, anyways. He was just trying to be clever and interesting, I could see right through him.”

“Yeah, right through to his boner for you,” Rafinha said, getting laughs from everyone again.

Neymar glared at all of them, “Seriously, shut up. And, for the record, if you were listening, then you would know that we’re almost there, so we should change.”

Their laughter slowly died down to silence as they prepared for their arrival. They closed the drapes and took out their bags. They changed into their robes and sat down to wait.

Neymar sat next to the window, staring dreamily into the night sky, wondering how white fingers would look laced with his.


	2. A New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo sets out with his best friend, Marc-Andre, to start his last year at Hogwarts. On the train, he encounters one of the new transfers, a beautiful Brazilian boy, who's name he doesn't catch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, if you're wondering, my inspiration for Neymar's hair is circa October 2013, particularly when they versed Celtic. Also, I promise more Rafa/Mats in the upcoming chapters. Hope you like it!

Of all the things Leo was going to miss about Hogwarts, the train ride there wasn’t one of them. The loud bustling of the many wizarding families made him feel confined and anxious. He never liked to be in big groups of people. He could handle things like eating in the Great Hall and playing in front of a crowd, because he could have his own space and wouldn’t feel the pressure of people on every side of him. But being amongst the crowd left him apprehensive.

So, as Leo was pushed around like a rag doll because of his size, having a best-friend like Marc-Andre there to steady him was always a blessing. Marc-Andre guided them past all the crazy parents, using his body like a shield. They boarded the train and immediately went off in search of their friend, Andres, who had saved a compartment for them. 

They founded him towards the front of the train. He sat in the booth across from two other Hufflepuffs, Marc Bartra and Thomas Vermaelen. 

“Hey, guys! How are you doing?” Marc Bartra asked upon seeing them enter. He practically flew out of his seat in excitement for seeing Leo. Leo had done well so far in his school career to keep his distance from Marc over the years. His constant glorification of Leo’s skills could become very annoying at times. He was a year younger than the rest of the people in the compartment, and did well to prove it by being star struck every time Leo walked past him.

Even now, Leo knew he was in for a long train ride with him in their compartment. Marc started to venerate him the second after they greeted everyone and sat down. 

“So, what do you think about the Quidditch standings this year? Obviously you guys will win the cup again, with your speed and sharpness, Leo, but who do you think will come in second this year? Gryffindor? Slytherin? I think it’s all up to chance, but at least your position isn’t!” Leo tried not to roll his eyes at Marc’s comments. He knew the kid was just trying to seem cool in front of him. 

Marc’s favorite thing in the world was Quidditch, but he just wasn’t good enough to make the first team. He obviously knew this from the beginning, so he tried his best to kiss whoever’s ass that would get him on the team. Ironically, choosing Leo was the wrong decision, for Leo was one of the main people to keep him off the team. Leo wanted to win, all the time, and to win you needed your best players, and Marc wasn’t one of them. 

But still, Leo was a good guy, and Marc-Andre didn’t have a mean bone in his body, so they entertained the kid for a bit. Luckily for Leo, he had prefect duty, so he got to leave the annoying conversation to perform his tasks. He found out that Antonella, the other 7th year Hufflepuff prefect, had taken care of most of their responsibilities already. The only thing he needed to do was survey some of the carts to make sure all the kids were okay. 

He went off to do this slowly, not wanting to go back to his compartment anytime soon. He said hello to other kids he knew and spoke to some of the ones about their summer. He refrained from even stopping near the 7th year Slytherin compartments, lest he get into it with Cristiano again. He did however briefly wave to Luis and Masche, two of his friends in Slytherin who were actually cool guys. They had been sorted into the House for all the original reasons it had been created, although sometimes he could see the slight evil in them that their House was always associated with. For instance, neither of them were allowed to play Quidditch anymore because they had gotten too many penalties last year. 

Leo would never be able to understand why Masche hexed the referee in the one game, or why Luis felt the need to sink his teeth into Ivan Rakitic in the other.

Leo continued farther down the train until he met the trolley for Honeydukes Express. Leo had found himself a friendship in Mrs. Wells, the nice old lady who gave out the sweets for the kids every year, in his first year. Leo had never been a candy enthusiast, but he still bought the occasional bag of lemon drops, so their friendship sustained. 

In his first year, when he had come to the school all alone, not knowing anything about magic, he found comfort in Mrs. Wells. He had been sitting in the last compartment on the train by himself when she came by with the trolley. At the time, lemon drops had been the only candy he recognized, so he used his first bit of wizard money to buy three bags. She struck around with him after that, because she had already made her rounds and she didn’t want him to be alone. 

From then on, they always had always taken time to converse on these train rides. Leo had ruined it though, because, after the first time, he was so embarrassed at himself for needing comforted that he avoided her. Mrs. Wells had let him be, and then when he got over his own problems, she was still there to talk to him on those patronizing train rides. 

Now, as he walked over to the trolley, already pulling out his money, he couldn’t help but be sad knowing that this would be one of the last train rides he ever went on, making it one of the last times he would see her. He tried to forget about this fact as Mrs. Wells turned to her new customer. Leo smiled as she let out a squeal at his presence.

“Leo, oh it’s so nice to see you!” Leo ignored the stares from other kids as her voice rose. “You’re a big 7th year now, aren’t ya? I can’t believe it, I remember you when you were no taller than my waist. How times flies, huh?” 

“Yes, it does fly. I can’t believe that this is my last year at Hogwarts, too. It seems like yesterday that I bought three bags of lemon drops from you, only to permanently pucker my lips for a week.” 

“Yes, I remember. You didn’t know that they had been enhanced at the time. Well here,” she said, handing him a bag of lemon drops, “Your favorites. Would you like anything else? Or maybe another bag? Sorry I can’t stay to chat, I’m a little behind on my rounds.”

“No, your fine, I understand. Yeah, just one bag of lemon drops.” Leo handed her the money. She then gave him his change back and turned to leave quickly, rushing off into another cart. 

Leo started walking back to the front when he looked down at the contents in his hand. He noticed immediately that she had given him too much money back. She often counted out the wrong change, getting too flustered with the amount of kids she had to serve. Leo being the honest guy that he was, went off in search of her.

Two sickles too much was enough for Leo to follow her down the aisle and into another cart. He saw her just at the end of it, waiting on a customer. He quickly ran over to her, pushing his hair from his face. She turned to look at him in surprise.

Leo gave her back the money, causing her to speak of her thanks and surprise at the revelation. Leo took pity on her and supplied an explanation for her forgetfulness. She quickly offered him to take something else from the trolley, her treat, even though it defeated the point of him returning the sickles. Leo resisted, but then, at her insistence, took another lemon drop bag for his own. 

It was when he was reaching for one that he realized he was being watched. He had completely forgot about the other customer in his rush. He looked up to excuse himself, or at least mutter a sorry, when he found his vision enraptured in sparkling green eyes. In his mind, he knew that he was staring far too intensely at them, to the point that he began to notice the golden specks that flacked the green. Upon this realization, he darted his eyes away quickly. In a totally uncharacteristic moment, his gaze seemed to flick down the owner of the stunning eyes, head to toe. The next wonderful feature he noticed of the boy was his beautiful tanned skin, smooth in all the places Leo could glimpse. And just because he was feeling really unlike himself today, Leo looked the boy up and down one more time for his own pleasure and inspection. 

Luckily for him, the boy seemed to be just as dumbfounded as Leo was, making him unable to reprimand him for his indecent manners. Mrs. Wells, though, was there to stop his outstare.

“Do you want anything?” She asked her dark skinned customer. He stuttered greatly in his answer as if he had forgotten why he was standing in front of the trolley in the first place. Leo noticed casually that he didn’t get any lemon drops, a fact that he decided to announce.

“No lemon drops,” Leo stated dumbly. He mentally slapped himself in the face for not elaborating on his statement. The boy, as expected, looked at him in totally confusion, very cutely Leo observed, not understanding for a second what he meant. This was a habit of Leo’s, saying something brief that only he understood to someone who would inevitably asked what he meant. Then Leo would expand on his phrase, usually explaining far too many extraneous facts. The addition of the attractiveness of the listener didn’t help Leo in the slightest.

“Lemon drops,” Leo decided to start at. “They’re a kind of Muggle candy that made it into the wizarding world by chance. Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes happened upon them one day, so they enhanced the product by making it even sourer. I here was just observing your lack of appreciation for them.” After the first time eating the sour killers, Leo had looked up why they were so different from the Muggle kind. This left him with many facts on the subject. 

The boy, who Leo thought at this point was just trying to make him blush, flicked his golden green eyes down Leo’s length. His eyebrows were still knotted together charmingly as he replied, “I‘ve never heard of them before, and now that you explain their flavor, I realize I’m not really in a sour mood.”

Leo heard a distinct Portuguese accent in his voice. The soothing sound of its draw made Leo want to smile dreamily, but the silly pun is what got him. He kept the grin to a minimum, but the jokes intention gave him the confidence to continue the conversation. 

“Awe, well I’d say with that attitude you are, but hey, what do I know.” Was this really him? Lionel Messi chatting teasingly with a random kid on the train, on the first day of school? Marc-Andre would never believe him. 

The boy quipped back, “I don’t know, what do you know?” He leaned into Leo’s personal space, jarring his hat against the door, thus bringing Leo’s attention to it. He could see brown, natty hair underneath it, but its style was unknown. For some reason Leo couldn’t explain, he wanted to see the boy’s hair. 

The rest of the boy had seemed ethereal, from his sparkling eyes to his slender limbs. Although there were many flaws on him, his acne scared skin and too-low hanging pants, he was the closest thing Leo had ever seen to being perfect. 

“I know,” Leo thought to say, reaching his hand out to the brim of his cap. “That we are almost at school, so we both better go put our robes on.” Which was true. “And, as a prefect, I know that hats aren’t allowed to be worn at school.” Which was definitely true. That being said, Leo used a simple flick of his hand to send the cap soaring into the boy’s compartment. 

Leo only got a second to see the boy’s hair before he covered it with his hands embarrassed. It was curly brown all over with little straight pieces over his forehead, the natural hair of Brazilians. Leo felt his smile turn into a smirk as he accounted himself for a win at seeing the boy look helpless. 

He turned quickly to go back the way he came. He hurried through the train carts, announcing to people that they would be arriving soon. He got sidetrack in a cart of Ravenclaws when one of them needed help getting their bag down from the shelf. Knowing that he was far too short to attempt to dislodge it, Leo used a simple spell to lower it to the ground for the kid. 

He finally got to his compartment to see the shades drawn, indicating that his friends were changing. He knocked on the glass and said, “Hey, let me in, its Leo.” 

The door quickly unlocked and slid open to reveal big hands grabbing Leo’s shirt to pull him in. Leo stumbled in as he was dragged into the chest of a giant. Leo quickly braced himself against Marc-Andre’s gigantic torso. 

“Is it true?” The giant asked the smaller boy, bending his neck to look at Leo’s face. 

“Jesus, you nearly smash me to death into your steel chest, and you expect me to answer you? Where’s the good cop? I’d rather talk to him?” Leo joked, pretending to fix his wrinkles as Marc-Andre let go of him. “Is what true?”

Leo hurriedly grabbed his robes from his bag as Marc-Andre explained his question. “Well, Anto told Christen, who told Ali, who told Ashlyn, who told me that she saw you, um, ‘hanging out’ with one of the new Brazilian transfers.”

“Well, she obviously didn’t use those words, Mats, what did she really say?” Leo asked, buttoning his shirt. 

“Fine, she said she saw you ‘groping one of the new Brazilian sluts.’”

“See, that sounds more like Anto. And for the record,” Leo explained to a wide eyed Marc-Andre as he tied his tie.” I wasn’t groping him, we were just talking,” Marc-Andre gave him a pointed look. “Okay! So maybe I was flirting with him a little, but it wasn’t a big deal or anything. I mean he was like really attractive, and he did flirt back, but, once he sees the rest of the people here at school, he’ll forget about me.”

“Oh Leo, the most humble of us all. You have no self-confidence in your looks, no matter how many times I tell you you’re handsome. You have just as much of a chance with this guy as anyone else. What’s his name? I’ll find him for you and butter him up.”

“Yeah, I kinda didn’t get his name. It, uh, didn’t come up,” Leo explained, blushing profusely as he pulled on his robe. 

He avoided Marc-Andre’s gaze as he questioned in a shock tone, “What!? Where were your manners, Mr.…? Mr.… uh, Mr. Manners himself!” 

“Nice one, Mats,” Thomas spoke for the first time since they had seen him. He sat slumped in the corner, looking annoyed at their conversation.

Marc-Andre, being the delightful ball of sunshine that he was, ignored Thomas and continued, “So, you flirt with this guy, call him hot...”

“Attractive,”

“…make Anto ticked at us on the first day of school, and you don’t even get his name! Wow, you really have changed over the summer.”

“I hardly suspect she’s that mad. She’ll get over it by tonight when we have to guide the first years.” Leo jolted as he felt the train start to slow down. He looked out the window into complete darkness, unable to even see the lights of the castle. “Anyways, all I did was talk to him. It was very brief and although I’d like to do it again… his lips looked very sinful, so I’m sure they’ll talk themselves all the way into the Slytherin House to be corrupted by Ronaldo and his crew.”

“Well, in either case, because not all Slytherins are evil, I will at least make friends with him to see if he’s good for you, okay?” Marc-Andre looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

“Do whatever you want, you’ll make friends with him either way. You’re just naturally that kind of person, unlike me.”

“Oh seriously, stop with the self-deprecation! It’s putting me in a bad mood for the feast. It’s our last year Leo, don’t spend it in the shadows like you always do. If you see that cute guy again, ask him out. Chances are he’ll say yes, because you are way too hard to say no to.” Marc- Andre patted him on the head and ruffled his hair before turning to look out the window at the now visible Hogwarts’ lights. 

When the train came to a stop, they made their way out of the train and into the carriages. The ride over to the school seemed to be shorter than it usually was. The excitement for the new school year was bearing down on them most likely, for they were silent as the castle came into view. The fact that it would be the last time he saw Hogwarts like this, made Leo nostalgic and sad. All his school life, he would dread the end of the school year, so this year being his last here made him dread it even more. 

They reached the end of the path and stopped in front of the big doors. Leo and Marc-Andre jumped from the carriage hurriedly and made their way into the building. They waved and greeted some friends of theirs that they haven’t seen from last year as they made their way through the doors. 

Their feet carried them the whole way into the Great Hall and then to the Hufflepuff table. They sat with the other 7th years toward the front, so they could be there to greet the new first years. Slowly, the rest of their Quidditch friends gravitated toward them. Along with Andres and Thomas, Ali Krieger, and Morgan Brian, and Christen Press sat near them. Last year they had all been a part of the winning team, accounting for an undefeated season. This year would be the last for Leo, Marc-Andre, Andres, Thomas, and Ali, so they were even hungrier for one last blowout before they left the school. 

This is what they talked about as they waited for the first years and the transfers to arrive. They questioned each other on whether any of them knew the transfers, or if they too played Quidditch. 

“Leo, how about you? Do you know any of transfers? I heard you were getting pretty cozy with one of them on the train today,” Ali teased him. The rest of the team laughed along as Leo’s face lite up.

“I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I did no such thing. All I did was talk to him. Is that illegal or something?” Leo sassed back, crossing his arms annoyed.

Ali laughed at his child like gesture, “No, it’s not illegal, it’s just unlike you is all. I’ve known you for seven years now and I never once heard of you flirting! Even when you were ‘talking’ to Anto, you never showed enough interest to actually flirt with her, you just lead her on until one day you finally told her you were gay.” 

“And that was totally not my fault that I lead her on, I never actually did anything to show her that I liked her like that.”

“Yeah, but you never did anything to dissuade her either,” Christen countered. She was right in a sense. Back in their fifth year, when Anto had a massive crush on him, Leo never came out and told her to give up on him. Instead, the year was filled with her awkward advances and Leo’s even more awkward responses. Leo thought that avoiding the problem would be best solution to discourage it, but she never relented. 

Finally it became too much for him after one of his games. She cornered him in the common room to congratulate him on his performance. She tried to kiss him and kept making suggestive comments at him, resulting in his discomfort, so he ultimately had to stop her by telling her he was gay. 

It would end up becoming the most embarrassing moment of Leo’s life. Upon his proclamation, she burst into tears. Between the tears, she yelled at him for being a jerk by leading her on like that, making a big scene in front of everyone. By the next morning, the whole school had known of his sexuality. Sharp comments from the Slytherin students followed him around for the next year. The difference on the Quidditch pitch was instantaneous with the trash-talking turning into homophobic remarks. Leo struggled through all the attention.

It helped a lot that Marc-Andre had already come out as being gay. He guided Leo through all the hate with the biggest smile on his face, because he was way too optimistic to put down. Of course, this started a rumor that they were dating, since they were together all the time, but Marc-Andre had politely discouraged those rumors in a way that only he could, making everyone give up on the theory.

Sadly for Anto, though, it was clear that she still liked him. Now, Leo only felt sympathy for her as his friends constantly mocked her at his expense. 

“Well, as far as I’m concerned, Anto has some competition now with this new transfer. What’s his name?” Ali asked. 

“That’s the best part,” Marc-Andre answered. “He doesn’t know his name!”

“What?” The girls asked simultaneously. 

“You’re telling me that little Leo Messi here flirted with a guy without getting his name first? Wow, that’s just unbelievable. Who does he think he is, Cristiano Ronaldo?” 

“I don’t know. All I know is that he is not the same guy we knew from last year. He’s a changed man now, with far less morals. Next thing you know he’ll be getting tattoos and cutting his adorable hair.”

“Alright, stop it. I haven’t changed at all. The guy was exceptionally attractive, and I just didn’t get his name. Now, shut up, they’re coming in,” Leo declared firmly.

“Yeah guys, be quiet. He doesn’t want anything distracting him from seeing his boyfriend,” Marc-Andre explained teasingly. The rest of their friends snickered to Leo’s annoyance. Leo, sick of Marc-Andre’s comments, took his wand out and muttered, “Silencio,” at him. He took pleasure in seeing Marc-Andre unable to speak. 

Professor Ellis guided the small eleven year-olds to the front of the Great Hall with the transfers following. Admittedly, there didn’t seem like that many of them, maybe a hundred in all. Leo had heard that the school had been shut down from lack of kids, but he had a hard time believing there had only been this many. 

He finally noticed the beautiful boy he meet on the train staggering in the back. His gaze found him almost immediately, quite a feat since there were so many Brazilians that resembled him. He strutted down the aisle talking to another boy who had silky black hair flipped back. 

“That’s him, with the short curly brown hair,” Leo whispered to Marc-Andre as he passed in front of them. As if realizing he was being talked about, the boy glanced up, finding Leo’s eyes instantly. Leo felt his cheeks burst into flames as the boy smiled and winked at him. 

“Whoa Leo, cool it with the eye-fucking,” Ali murmured to him smirking.

“Yeah, I don’t think your cheeks could handle getting any redder,” Christen added.

Leo rolled his eyes at them. He looked at Marc-Andre to see how he was fairing without being able to talk, no doubt dying to tease him, but he wasn’t paying them any attention. Instead, he stared after the Brazilian boys. Wondering what he was thinking, Leo countered the spell and broke him from his gaze.

“Hey, what is it?” Leo asked, tapping Marc-Andre’s shoulder. He looked over at him startled as if just realizing where he was.

“What?”

“What are you staring at?”

“Oh um, nothing,” Marc-Andre stuttered, looking back at the transfers. 

“Obviously it’s something, what is it?”

“The curly one right? He’s cool yeah, but, um, it’s just… his friend there, he’s kinda… Ah never mind, forget it.”

“No, what is it? You think he’s cute, don’t you? You…”

“Shh! They’re gonna call their names out for the Sorting Hat.”

Leo and Marc-Andre listened quietly as they went through all the normal beginning of the year stuff. Their barely competent Headmaster Bartomeu gave a speech about the upcoming year. He explained the reason for the transfers being admitted and some miscellaneous things about the campus. By the end of it, he had lost the concentration of all the students. He then turned it over to Professor Ellis to call the first years and transfers up for the Sorting Hat.

She presented the Sorting Hat to everyone and allowed it to sing its song before she called anyone up. At the end of it she announced, “This year, since we’ve never had transfers before, we will start with them. First up, a sixth year student, Rafael Alcântara.”

Hesitantly and ironically, the boy who Marc-Andre had been infatuated with, walked to the front and sat on the chair. It was weird to see someone who was big enough to wear the hat on his head properly up there getting sorted, but then again, it was weird that they had transfers at all. Apparently the hat thought so, too.

“I see no way that this could be a first year, I actually fit nicely on his ear. Ah,” the Sorting Hat paused, contemplating. “A transfer from Brazil, and as graceful as a gazelle. You want to learn I see, well I know exactly where you should be. I can see only awe that you could complete in Ravenclaw!” The Sorting Hat exclaimed. The boy underneath it grimaced and looked over to the Gryffindor table. Leo followed his eyes and saw Dani Alves looking at the boy with a sympathetic face, nodding. Leo had originally learned about the transfers from Dani, because he lived near the school in Brazil. He figured that they must know each other.

The boy reluctantly got up and left the hat. He looked over at his other transfer friend in disgrace as he walked to the Ravenclaw table. There, he was greeted warmly by the afro haired seventh year, David Luiz. The boy looked at him in surprise and then smiled as they hugged. 

“Well,” Leo said, turning to Marc-Andre. “It could’ve been worse. He could’ve have been sorted in Slytherin.”

“Ravenclaw could be just as bad. All of the Houses are at the same level of good, so don’t say that. And also technically, Ravenclaw is supposed to be our rivals.”

“Like it matters with you, your friends with everyone. Maybe you can talk to Dani about Rafael then, yeah?”

“Yeah, I will. Now let’s learn your guy’s name.”

Leo would end up having to wait much longer to find out the Brazilian’s name. Almost every one of the transfers name had been called before his, making Leo almost miss his name being called.

“Sixth year, Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior.” Leo watched as the boy, Neymar, walked to the front of the room. He looked to have a slight limp in his walk, but it seemed like he was doing it purposely. To look cool or because it was really how he walked, Leo was unsure.

Unlike Rafael and some other transfer, all it took was for the hat to be set on his head for the Sorting Hat to call out, “Gryffindor!” Leo watched as a big, toothy, breathtaking smile stretched across his face. He looked to the Gryffindor table to see Dani with a relieved face as Neymar walked over to embrace him and Adriano Claro. 

Adriano was another Brazilian, so if Neymar knew Dani, he must have known him, too. Hopefully, Leo thought, he wasn’t irritable like Adriano or as loud as Dani.

“Gryffindor then, not bad. His name’s Neymar though, that’s a little weird,” Marc-Andre said, breaking the silence between them. Leo ignored him as he thought about the boy’s name. Yes, Neymar was a peculiar name, and he had surely never heard it before, but it suited him somehow. It was out of the ordinary and nice sounding, much like the Brazilian. 

Leo hoped he’d be able to say it more often.


	3. A First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neymar starts his first day as a Gryffindor student. Along with Rafa, he meets a bunch of new people and attends his first class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! I tried writing it in Rafa's POV first, but then I realized that I don't really relate with him enough so all chapters will just be Leo and Neymar POV. That being said, a little Rafa/Mats moment here and introduction to a bunch of characters.

“This is so unfair!” Neymar complained as he ate. “Rafinha is just as brave as me, why did they put him in Ravenclaw?”

“Because Neymar,” Dani explained, grabbing another cookie. “Some qualities of his character shine more than others. I agree that he is as courageous as us, but obviously the attributes of Ravenclaw suit him more.”

“But that’s so stupid!” Neymar whined. “Why do they have to split us up like this anyways? Why can’t we just have normal grade levels?”

Dani sighed. “Because, having the Houses lets us closely interact with people who share the same morals as us. It allows us to embrace our best qualities and learn to us them for good. Plus, it’s an easier way to keep track of everyone and put everything into order,” Dani explained for the third time that night. 

Once Neymar had learned the whole extent of what being in other Houses meant, he had erupted in anger at the distinct separation he now had from Rafinha. He didn’t understand why they had to be split apart, or why Rafinha was put into Ravenclaw in the first place. Sure, he was smart and cared about his studies the most, but he was also fiercely loyal and very determined in everything he did. Neymar actually thought Rafinha had more reason to be in Gryffindor than he did.

Neymar groaned out childishly, “It’s still unfair.”

“I know, it sucks, but it’s not like you’ll never see him. You can still sit with him for meals and have classes with him. It’s not like were completely secluded from them. The sleeping arrangements are just different.”

“And the Quidditch teams,” Neymar added bitterly.

Dani winced, “Okay yeah, that too, but you still have us, so stop making me feel so bad about this like it’s my fault. Just eat your dinner and then I’ll show you the common room.”

Neymar continued to eat his meal in silence. He let his gaze wander the room for the first time, trying to make sense of the outlandish school. He observed the Head Table first, where the teachers sat. He recognized a few of them, because some of the professors had been great Quidditch players before they taught. Professors like Guardiola, Enrique, Ronaldinho, and Maradona had all at some point played at the professional level. The joke amongst the wizarding world now was that, after players retired, they would became teachers, because it was the easiest jobs they could qualify for. 

Neymar had a very distinct fear of becoming like them. 

And that’s why, in a way, it was good his school closed, because their success rate for students after school wasn’t good. It was common knowledge in Brazil that the only way to get out of there was to play Quidditch. That’s why Neymar had trained so hard all those years, so he could provide a better life for his family. 

So, while it was cool that his teachers had been such prominent figures for his athletic career, he made a promise to himself that he wouldn’t be star struck by them. 

His continuous survey of the room led Neymar to see Rafa talking to a boy with big, curly hair in blue Ravenclaw colors. He squinted his eyes trying to see who the boy was. He seemed familiar to Neymar in an innocent way, as if he had known him in his youth.

“Hey Dani, who’s that kid talking to Rafa?”

Dani turned around to ogle the Ravenclaw table. He then turned back to Neymar with a smile. “Dude, I totally forgot, that’s David Luiz.”

“David Luiz… wait really amazing beater, David Luiz, who use to compete with us? That David Luiz? No way, I didn’t know he went here!”

“Yep, he’s in your year. Still plays Quidditch. Still bloody fantastic at it. Actually, Adriano!” Dani called out. 

Adriano turned to them questioning, “Hmm?” 

“Was it two years ago that David Luiz broke Bale’s calf?” After Adriano nodded at him, Dani turned back to Neymar, “Yeah, two years ago in a close game between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, David sent the most beautiful Bludger hit right at Bale. The impact was so great that his whole leg shattered, literally. Bale went to the infirmary after, where they told him that every bone in his leg was broken, and in some place, even turned to powder! Fucking powder! It was insane, worse injury I’ve ever seen.” 

Neymar’s face must have shone his fear, for Adriano interrupted, “Okay, okay, don’t let Dani mar your opinion of him, though. David’s still the biggest goof ball ever. Last year, in Potions class…” 

“So amazing really, I don’t know how he did,” Dani interjected,

“…he created a potion that makes the drinker sneeze balloons.”

“Balloons?” Neymar asked.

“Yeah, balloons of all things. He waited until flu season to contaminate the Slytherin water jug with the potion during one of their practices.”

“See,” Dani explained. “It’s tradition that the Quidditch teams play pranks on each other. The goal is to have the funniest, most outrageous one. Gryffindor usually wins, but we couldn’t beat David’s last year, so this year we plan to make a comeback.”

Neymar smiled gleefully. They did the same type of thing at his old school, but the pranks were against teachers. He and Rafinha had been the raining champs. “Well, I like the sound of that. Maybe this school isn’t that bad. But, tell me what happened to the Slytherins.”

“Yeah, so the whole Slytherin team, and even some of their friends, drank from the jug. The next day, they woke just sneezing balloons everywhere. Their common rooms were filled with them! They spent the whole next week in the hospital wing with Madame Carniero frantic trying to find out what had happened. Finally, word got out that David made the potion. He ended up having to make an antidote for them, otherwise he would’ve been expelled. Anyways, he’s an absolute legend now and everyone in Slytherin hates him.”

“Wow, that’s awesome!” Neymar was in total awe of David’s skills. “So, what do you have in mind for ours this year?” 

“Whoa, calm down, Junior. You’re not even on the team yet. You still have to try-out,” Dani teased, flicking his nose.

“Oh c’mon,” Neymar countered, batting Dani’s hand away. “Of course I’m gonna make the team, you even told me I’m a shoe-in because the seeker from last year graduated. Let’s not be foolish now.”

“Yeah, but maybe there’s a second year whose faster than you.”

“Oh, don’t insult me. You know I’m the best.”

“Actually no, I already said, Lionel Messi might just have you beat. It’s gonna be interesting to see you guys verse each other. Quite the show it’ll be with your crush on him getting in the way.”

Neymar scoffed, “I do not have a crush on him. I only just met him!”

“Mhmm, sure. Look at him without smiling then.”

“Fine,” Neymar said, accepting Dani’s challenge. He looked over to the Hufflepuff table, trying to glance Leo’s face. He found him instantly, talking to a big blond kid. Leo had big smile on his face as he laughed. 

He looked absolutely stunning to Neymar. His eyes crinkled with laughter, as his brown bangs fell about his face, creating shadows. White teeth poked out from his pink-lipped smile, featuring his tongue in the corner. Neymar watched enthralled as his tongue glided along the bottom of his lip. 

Just as his imagination began to wander, visions of those lips wrapped around other things, Dani snapped his fingers in front of him laughing.

“What?” Neymar questioned, trying to hide his blush.

“Your face,” Dani explained, laughing. “I can only imagine what you were thinking. First you had this dumb grin on, and then you started biting your lip like you do when you’re having dirty thoughts.”

“How do you know I do that?”

“Because you’re pretty obvious about it, always have been. Anyways, you’ll be happy to know, he’s gay, too.”

“Really?”

“Yep, but you can’t date him,” Adriano added. “Because that would be like sleeping with the enemy.”

“Oh, shut up Adriano! Ney can fuck whoever he wants,” Dani smirked. “Or really, I should say, get fucked by anyone he wants, but…” Neymar threw his napkin at a laughing Dani. “Leo is a great choice. Plus, he seems to have an interest in Neymar, too, with the way he keeps looking over here at him,” Dani said.

“He does not,” Neymar countered, blushing as he looked down at his hands.

“He totally does, look.”

Neymar peeked up at the rival Seeker. Their gazes met immediately. Neymar gasped at the sheer intensity of Leo’s stare. Leo blushed at being caught watching. He turned away shyly.

Neymar, never to back down from a challenge, held his gaze on Leo’s form until he finally turned back to face him. This time, Neymar smiled at him, finding himself winking despite his own embarrassment. And yeah, Neymar could get use to making the boy blush like that. He looked utterly adorable with the pink blood rush spotting his pale skin. Neymar subconsciously began to envision a blush flushing Leo’s skin head to toe.

Again, snapping fingers brought Neymar out of his reverie. He turned to Dani annoyed, watching him laugh excessively. “Stop it! He’s just really hot, okay? I can’t help it.”

“God, you’re so far gone already! I’ll have to introduce you to him tomorrow. But until then, it seems that we’re getting ready to go to bed. So c’mon, I’ll show you where you’ll be living for the next nine months.” 

They turned their attention to the front of the room as the Headmaster dismissed them to their common rooms. The sea of kids stood from their tables to exit the Great Hall. Dani reached back and grasped Neymar’s hand as to not lose him in the crowd. They traveled out of the room and up a bunch of stairs. As they walked, Dani explained to Neymar that the stairs move in certain parts of the building. He gave him tips on how not to get stuck on them while they rode one up to the door of the common room. 

The door itself was a big picture of a Fat Lady. Dani spoke the password, Pygmy Puff, and the painting swung open to reveal a big hole in the wall. Dani led him through the entryway and into a big circular room. The room featured big armchairs, paintings, a bulletin board, and other miscellaneous items all with a hint of crimson and gold. Neymar stopped walking as Dani climbed up another set of stairs, calling his name.

Neymar jogged up the stairs to catch up to him. At the top, there was two different doors. He followed Dani into the left door and then up another set of stairs. “What the hell is it with this school and stairs?”

“Well, it is a castle, and you’re in the Gryffindor Tower, so I would figure there would be stairs, wouldn’t you?” 

“Whatever, there’s still too many. I’m gonna die if I have to walk up these every day.”

“Oh, shut up, you’re so young,” Dani said, stopping in front of a bunch of doors. He pointed at one of them, “This room is mine. I share it with Adriano, Geri, and a few other seventh years whose names I only know on occasion.” He pointed at another door, “This is your room, whom you will share with other sixth years. I don’t remember their names, so don’t ask. Introduce yourself and make your own friends. If you have any questions ever, you can ask me, but I am a busy person. Also, we probably won’t have any classes tomorrow, so you’ll have to figure that out yourself.”

Neymar corrected him, “Actually, I think we might, because my dad says that although my old school sucked at most everything, there were a few classes, like Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, that it excelled in, so I’ll be in older classes for those.”

“Well, I’ll be darned,” Dani teased. “They think you’re smart.”

Neymar flipped him off, “Hey, I do alright. And they also think Rafa is smart, so obviously there’s something wrong with this school.” Neymar laughed bitterly at his own joke. It had only been an hour, and he already missed Rafinha.

“Hey,” Dani said, grabbing his attention. “It’s not so bad, I promise. You’ll still see him all the time. Tomorrow you can compare schedules, I’m pretty sure you’ll be together for some. It’ll be fine.”

Neymar smiled, “Thanks, Dani. At least I got you and Adriano here.”

“You’re right! You still have us! And you’re gonna love Geri, he’s hilarious. You guys have the exact same sense of humor. Now, get some rest. You have a big day ahead of you.” Dani pulled Neymar in and hugged him close. 

Neymar was so thankful for Dani’s presence. He knew that without someone there to guide him through this, he would crumble. He pretended to be self-reliant and fearless all the time, but the truth was he needed help sometimes. 

In dealing with other people’s problems, he would face them head on without trouble, too focused on helping that person to remember his own fear. But with his own problems, he was much less enthusiastic to go it alone.

Dani broke away from Neymar’s embrace to ruffle his hair and head into his room, prompting Neymar to do the same. Inside, he found his luggage next to one of the beds. On top he found his schedule and other school papers, including his books for class. 

By the time Neymar and Rafinha had committed to Hogwarts, all the schedules and book lists had been sent out to the other students. In a sign of good will, the school promised to buy them their books, since they would be unable to have their schedules ready until later.

Neymar was excited to find out what classes he had, but he was too tired to fully understand what the black lines on the paper meant, so instead he changed into a pair of pajamas and fell into his bed. 

 

The next morning, Neymar woke up to the sound of four boys moving about the room. He sat up to see them all in more or less stages of undress. He made a mental note to tell that he was gay ASAP. He didn’t have a problem with them being this comfortable with themselves, Neymar was the same. He had spent many years sharing a locker room with other boys, so it wasn’t like he couldn’t control himself, but he found in life that most guys would rather know that he was gay than having him try to hide it. 

“Um, what time is it?” Neymar asked aloud tentatively. 

A boy in the bed beside him, who for some reason resembled a chipmunk to Neymar, heard him and answered, “Almost 7:30. Breakfast ends at 8, so I would get a move on if I were you.” The boy stood up. “My name’s Jordi, and you must be Neymar.” He waited a beat for Neymar to nod and then he stuck out his hand. “I see you’re already friends with Dani, right?” 

Another nod encouraged Jordi to continue, “Yeah, he’s a good guy. You’ll notice early on that he’s kinda a big deal here, so you might not see much of him. Luckily for you, he enlisted me to help get you around today, so let me start by introducing you to our other roommates.” Jordi turned to point at the other boys. “The bald kid is Sandro, the kid with the weird orange tinted hair is Munir, and the tall, skinny kid is Pastore.” Neymar greeted all the boys in turn as they rolled their eyes at Jordi’s characterizations.

“They’re here for help, too, right boys?” After a few half-hearted yeses, Jordi turned to Neymar beaming. Neymar returned the smile. He was happy to know that at least one of his roommates were nice. 

At Jordi’s insistence, Neymar got out of bed to dress for the day. He pulled on his uniform and cloak, adding a Gryffindor tie, and quickly used a spell to fix his hair. Before he left the room, Neymar put all of his books into his wallet, using the Undetectable Extension Charm to fit them inside. Rafinha had learned the spell his third year, saving them from ever having to lug around bulky bags again.

Neymar found Jordi waiting for him in front of the Fat Lady. Together they ventured down to the Great Hall.

“So I may have taken the liberty of looking at your schedule,” Jordi said hesitantly as they reached the bottom of all the stairs. “Sorry for being nosy. I’m a morning person, and I saw it there, so I read it to pass the time.” He looked over at Neymar, seeming slightly embarrassed and guilty.

A beat past before Neymar realized that Jordi was waiting for a scolding. “Oh no, that’s fine. I’m a very open person, you’ll see that as time goes on. But no, you’re fine. Um, do we have any classes together?”

Jordi looked immensely relieved as he answered, “Yes, we do! First period Transfiguration, third period Herbology, and seventh period Care of Magical Creatures. At first, I was surprised that we only had that many classes together, but then I noticed that some of your classes are for seventh years.”

“Yeah,” Neymar explained as they entered the Great Hall. “My old school apparently taught some of the classes faster or something, so I’m qualified for higher ones.”

“That’s cool, yeah, what I figured actually.”

Just as they began to walk towards the Gryffindor table, Neymar felt a weight crash against his back. He spun himself around in their arms to come face to face with Rafinha.

“Oh Neymar, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you! Tell me, have you already found a new best friend? Please say it’s not this guy here, I don’t know how I’ll live without you!” Rafinha whined dramatically. 

Neymar laughed at his outlandish antics, adding to the spectacular himself, “Of course not, Rafa, never! I’ve merely been kidnapped by him, stolen away from you and forced to live in other quarters. I could not sleep a wink last night without your presence there. Enlighten me please, do you still snore like an old man?”

Distracting from Rafinha’s eye roll, a shout of laughter sounded behind him. Neymar looked over his shoulder to see David standing there timidly. 

“Tell me Rafa, were you able to sleep knowing that a big, curly haired beast slept beside you? Because I know that I wouldn’t be able to.” This time Rafinha laughed as David’s eyes rolled. The dark skinned Brazilians broke apart to allow David to hug Neymar. 

“Okay,” David spoke. “Tell me now, do you still have a rat tail growing out of the bottom of your head?” The three of them laughed as David tickled the back of Neymar’s neck. “Because, last time I saw you, you had blond hair and a braided monstrosity that you swore was ‘the look’ back then.” 

“Oh, shut up! That was the past, we don’t talk about it anymore. Never again, got it?” David nodded, smiling at Neymar’s demand. Just as he was about to say something back, his name was called from across the room by a boy and a girl, each with blond hair. 

“I’m coming,” David answered them back. “Sorry guys, I gotta go, but we’ll catch up later, Neymar. I’ll see you in class. Bye!” They watched David’s retreating form as he caught up to his other friends.

“So,” Rafinha said, turning to Neymar. “What do you think about the school?”

“I like it just fine, I’m just pissed that you’re in Ravenclaw,” Rafa gave him a mournful look. “I seriously do miss you.”

“Well, we still have classes. Let me see your schedule.” Neymar handed it over quickly. Rafinha stared at it for a second and then remarked, “Okay, we have everything except the last two. I don’t have Care of Magical Creatures or a free period.”

“What do you have instead?”

“Um, Study of Ancient Runes and Astronomy I believe, smart kid electives, ya know, since I’m apparently brilliant.”

Neymar scoffed, “Yeah, you little jerk, if you were dumb like me, we’d be in all the same classes, and the same House! But no, you just have to be intelligent. So selfish of you really, I’m surprised you’re not in Slytherin.” At that comment, Rafinha jumped on him again. Together they fought jokingly until someone came over to stop them. 

“Hey guys,” the boy said, pulling them apart. “It’s the first day of school, let’s not fight.” Neymar looked up to see the blond kid from Hufflepuff that Leo was talking to yesterday, holding them apart by sheer strength. 

Neymar laughed as he explained to the boy, “Dude, don’t worry, we were just playing, nothing serious I swear.”

“Yeah,” Rafinha inputted, “Nothing serious.”

At the sound of Rafinha’s voice, the boy glanced up to focus on him. After a beat of intense staring, the boy seemed to snap out of his thoughts and let go of them. “I’m sorry, I saw you guys fighting and just went into ‘Hero Mode’ as my friend calls it. Yeah, I’m so sorry, please forgive me.”

The boy seemed really distraught now, and that was the last thing Neymar wanted. “Dude, seriously don’t worry about, it’s okay. It’s, uh, good to know that someone at this school would step in to stop a fight. Rafa here, obviously since he’s in Ravenclaw, would be too much of a wimp to ever stop one.”

“Hey!”

“It’s the truth!”

Rafinha scoffed as the boy turned towards him again. “Rafa, is it?” The boy asked tentatively, grabbing his hand suddenly.

Rafinha gulped visibly while gasping, “Yeah, uh, it’s Rafinha, but my friends call me Rafa.”

“Cute,” the blond giant stated. “My name’s Marc-Andre, but my friends call me Mats.” Then, completely surprising both of the Brazilians, Mats brought Rafa’s hand up to his mouth and kissed it softly. Rafinha let out a tiny squeal as his face flushed. 

Neymar watched his friend fall into giggles as Mats turned to him to get his name. Neymar subconsciously crossed his arms and muttered, “Neymar.” Mats smiled at him, prompting Neymar to unthinkingly return it just as radiant.

“Well boys, I must be off. I hope to see you around more, though,” Mats pronounced, staring at Rafinha pointedly, which in turn made Rafinha grin dumbly. “No more fighting while I’m gone, I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.” 

Neymar watched, shocked, as his friend was reduced to girlish giggles as Mats walked over to the Hufflepuff table. Rafinha turned back to Neymar with the same grin on his face. At the sight of Neymar’s knowing smirk, Rafinha reined the smile in.

“What?”

“You know what! You guys yell at me for flirting with strangers, and here you are, turning into a teenage girl, because a guy kissed your hand!”

“Shut up, he was cute! I have every right to be flattered. Uh, let’s just go eat, okay?”

Neymar relented and followed Rafinha to the Gryffindor table. They ignored the eyes of the other students as they sat down across from Jordi. 

“Jordi, this is my best friend Rafinha. He’s a transfer like me. As you can see, he’s in Ravenclaw, which we can’t be any more upset about, so don’t mention it or he’ll start crying again,” Neymar announced.

“Ignore him, he thinks he’s funny or something. But yeah, I’m Rafa.” They shook hands over the table.

“Pleasure to meet you! I see you guys already know so many people, which we’ll have to talk about later, because you guys have about two minutes to eat before our first class.” At this realization, Neymar and Rafinha started scarfing down food. Before they left, they stuffed muffins into their pockets and vowed to wake up earlier tomorrow.

In Transfiguration, they reviewed spells that they had already learned from last year. Neymar was happy that it was first period. Professor Ellis seemed pretty easy going, and he had always been relatively good in the class, so he figured it was a good way to wake up in the morning. 

Other than watching Professor Ellis turn into a bald eagle, nothing particularly exciting happened. The class ended with Rafinha and Neymar bidding Jordi goodbye as he ran off to his next class. 

It was then that they realized they had no idea where the Dungeons were. They went out of the Transfiguration classroom and into the Entrance Hall. They tried to ask for help from students running around, but most of them were too busy getting to class. Finally, a seemingly unbothered kid broke from the crowd, strolling causally as he read a book. They watched as the boy, with bushy black curls that rivaled David’s, walked over to the banister and sat on the end. 

Quickly, they walked over to the boy, completely content with asking him for help, when they noticed his green and black tie. Up until that point, they had only heard horrible things about the kids in Slytherin. They wanted to find their classroom, but Rafinha wasn’t sure if they were desperate enough to ask him. 

Rafinha conveyed this fear to Neymar silently. They had turned to each other to argue through facial expressions about whether or not they should ask him. Neymar was more than eager to just ask the kid and get on to class, but Rafinha was much more hesitant. 

“If you’re going to ask me a question, I’d like it if you’d do it now, before I get too invested in this book.”

At the sound of his voice, both boys looked up, alarmed, at the Slytherin student. He smirked down at the Brazilians teasingly. Rafinha slowly inched behind Neymar, trying not to draw attention to himself. This only made the boy smirk wider.

“I don’t bite, I promise. Transfers, I presume. I figure by your reluctance to talk to me that somebody already told you all the horror stories of my House. C’mon though, it’s the 21st century! I thought we were done stereotyping everyone.” The boy chuckled as he jumped down from his seat. He stuck his hand out to them and stated, “Hi, I’m Marcelo, also known as ‘Monstrum Bonum’ which is Latin for ‘good monster.’ I coined that nickname for being the unique Slytherin there ever was. Not only am I Muggle-born, but I’m also ‘nice.’ So really, I shouldn’t chaste you guys for hesitating, most Slytherins would have ignored you.” 

Neymar was the first to grasp his hand and state his name. Marcelo smiled at him and shook his hand vigorously with excitement. Rafinha timidly shook his hand next with much less enthusiasm.

“So, what can I help you with?” Marcelo inquired with twinkling eyes.

“Um, we don’t know where the Dungeons are and we have Potions right now so” Neymar answered.

“Hmm, the Dungeons you say. Well, I do believe I know where those are. But gentlemen, I must ask, what shall you do for me in return?”

Neymar and Rafinha looked at him lost, wondering why they had to barter. “Um?”

Marcelo laughed, “Did you think I would give you the information freely?”

Neymar sighed, muttering angrily, “Okay look, Rafa here is too young to give you a blowjob, and I can’t say I’m that pressed to give you one myself, but...”

“Dude!”

“No, no, no, that won’t be necessary,” Marcelo insisted. “No, I was thinking something along the lines of messenger boys. I, um, saw you guys yesterday talking to Dani Alves. And see, this is embarrassing, but last year Dani and I got in a pretty ugly argument. Words were said, spells were cast, and let’s just say his luggage may or may not have caught fire. I’ve been trying ever since then to make it up to him, because I realize now I was being stupid, but the stubborn kid refuses to talk to me. Since he refuses, and you guys seem to know him, I was hoping you could give him this.” Marcelo reach into his bag that had been laying on the ground to pull out a box. He handed it to them and explained, “It’s just a box of candies. Ones that I learned he likes through Adriano. I was hoping you could give it to him and tell him I’m really sorry.”

Neymar replied quickly, “Yes, yes, of course we can do that.” He stashed the box in his wallet and turned back to Marcelo. “Ok, now can you tell us where the Dungeons are, so we don’t miss the whole class?”

Marcelo smiled widely and pointed around them. “Yeah, it’s behind you to the right.” And before they could thank him, Marcelo grabbed his bag and dashed up the stairs happily.

The two Brazilians shrugged and ran off towards the Dungeons. They found the Potions room easily. They fought over which one of them would be the first to open the door and disrupt the class. After an intense game of rock-paper-scissors, Neymar reluctantly pulled the door open, much to Rafinha’s delight, who hid behind him the best he could.

They couldn’t be more than five minutes late, it didn’t look like they missed much, but the teacher still glared at them like they halted the creation of the Felix Felicis. 

Ironically, they found out later, they interrupted the discussion of whether Liquid Luck should be one of their assignments for the year.

“You gentlemen must be Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior and Rafael Alcântara. Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” Professor Guardiola said once he noticed their entry.

“Yes sir, we are. We, uh, didn’t know where the Dungeons were,” Rafinha supplied for their excuse.

“Well, I would invest in a map then. But, since you are new to the school, I’ll let it slide just this once. I will state now, though, that even as transfers, that I will not make any exceptions for you. You will do the same work as everyone else, and failure to do so will result in your immediate explosion from this class. 

“Now,” Prof. Guardiola announced to the class, smirking as he picked up a folder. “On to the fun stuff. As I was saying before, this year I have assigned everyone partners to complete the four very advanced potions we will be making throughout the year. Most of you have one, but as you can see, Mr. Cuccittini and Miss. Krieger are lacking slaves.” Prof. Guardiola paused for the class to laugh and then continued, “So, Mr. Santos, you will be with Mr. Cuccittini, and Mr. Alcântara with Miss. Krieger.”

Professor Guardiola pointed to each student as he spoke their names. Neymar followed his finger to where it pointed to a desk near the back. Its only occupant was a boy with floppy brown hair. Neymar was unable to see the boy’s face, though, for he had his head resting on his arm closets to Neymar, effectively covering his face. 

Rafinha, on the other hand, had a seat near the front next to a beautiful brown haired girl, who was not only smiling at him, but also waving. Rafinha smirked at Neymar and then walked to his seat, greeting the girl happily.

Neymar turned back to his partner’s table and traveled over. Even after he sat down, the boy still didn’t turn to him or even acknowledge his presence. 

“Hi, um, I’m Neymar, like he said I guess. Um, what’s your name?” At Neymar’s question, the boy seemed to become more distant. He curled in on himself more than before, still hiding his face

Neymar sat patiently waiting for the boy’s response when Professor Guardiola spoke out again. “Leo, now I know you wanted to work alone again this year, but I finally got a class with even numbers, so you’ll have to take one for the team…” Laughter erupted from one side of the room, pausing the Professor’s speech for a moment as the boy continued to shrink, “…and learn to work with other people. I think it will good for you. Now, please, talk to your partner. Continuing class…”

At this point, Neymar started to tune the teacher out as he turned to his partner another time. Cuccittini didn’t ring a bell in his mind, but Leo did. “Messi?” He asked tentatively.

The boy finally looked up from his hands and turned to Neymar with a bleak smile. “Hey,” he said simply, nodding. Leo turned back to his book almost immediately. 

Neymar, confused with Leo’s reaction, pressed on. “Do you remember me? From the train? And yesterday…”

Leo replied, sighing as he answered, “Oh, um, yeah I remember now. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Neymar responded quickly. “It’s the first day of school. Everyone gets frazzled.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s it. Um, I think he’s telling us about the potion we’re making today, so we should listen, yeah.” Leo turned his attention back to his book and resumed his position from before. 

Neymar couldn’t help but be upset with Leo’s obvious lack of interest in him now. Dani must have been wrong in his assumptions. Although, Neymar didn’t have an answer for why Leo had flirted on the train at all then. 

Neymar half listened as Professor Guardiola droned on about what ingredients they needed for the potion. It was some calming draught he’s done before. The other half of his attention went to his observation of the class. Amongst the students, he only recognized the blond kid from this morning, Mats, sitting on the other side of the room next to the girl David had run off with at breakfast.

The majority of the kids in class were from Ravenclaw. He noticed in amusement that he was the only Gryffindor student. Eventually though, his gaze landed on Rafinha, who just happened to be looking his way. 

Rafinha nodded at Leo, raising his eyebrows and making a kissy face at him. Neymar rolled his eyes as shook his head. Rafinha furrowed his eyebrows and made a questioning face. Neymar just shrugged.

“Hey,” Leo said, cutting into the Brazilians’ quiet conversation rather harshly. “He said we can start. Stop messing around with your, um… just go get the plants we need for the calming draught, okay?” 

In the last five minutes, Neymar couldn’t think of anything that would make Leo so upset. Maybe it was his lack of note taking, but again, he already knew how to make this potion. Instead of questioning him though, Neymar stood up and followed some of the other students to the supply closet. 

“Hey,” Rafinha said, catching up to him. “What’s with your guy?”

“I don’t know. He’s really pissy today, and he acted like he didn’t remember me.”

“Weird, you’re an annoyingly memorable person. Whatever then, you’ll just have to ‘stain’ his memory, if you know what I mean.” As Rafinha winked, a force pushed them apart. They looked up to see a clearly irritated girl walk in between them with her wand raised, levitating her ingredients. 

“Jesus!” Neymar exclaimed when the girl was out of ear shot. “What is with people today?”

“I don’t know. Maybe a calming draught would be best for everyone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eek! A mean Leo at the end there, I wonder why... The next update might not be for a while, I'll try my best, but ya know school just has to be a thing.


	4. Single and Gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo is an easy prey for the ridicule of his peers. He tries to be upbeat and positive, but his newfound crush sends him too many mixed signals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I like writing from Leo's POV so much better. Anyways, I got done with this one much faster than I thought I would, so I hope it's good, because I've been pretty distracted lately. Hope you enjoy!

Breathe. Add two leaves of lavender. Forget his stare. Stir. Don’t be distracted by his compulsive tapping. Is he humming? Silence him. Ask for the elm bark. Don’t look up. Dammit. His eyes. Neglect the burn. Don’t pull away so quickly next time. Breathe. Ignore the brush of his thigh against yours. 

Dammit. 

Leo groaned out loud at his recycle of thoughts. Neymar peeked over at him curiously, opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, but then closing it as if he remembered Leo’s mood. Leo groaned inwardly at himself for making Neymar so silent and awkward.

In his favorite class, Potions, Leo had always been content. It was his best subject. For six years, he had lucked out with being in classes of odd numbers. He always volunteered to work alone, despite Mats being in his class. He liked working alone. He felt like he handled the job better that way. 

But, of course, the annoyingly attractive Brazilian had to come complicate his life again. 

He knew this would happen, too. It had already been shaping up to be a pretty stellar day in the life of Lionel Messi. He knew that nothing he did today would escape harm the second he woke up. It was just one of those days.

So, when Leo had walked into the Potions room that morning with Professor Guardiola smiling at him, he just knew he was in for a treat. The realization had only came to him too late to do anything. As soon as Professor Guardiola said the words ‘even class’ Leo had started to wonder whether or not he could nick Andre’s Invisibility Cloak for the rest of the year during second period. His spirits lifted when he hadn’t been given one, but then Professor Guardiola had mentioned the transfers being late.

And sure enough, Neymar showed up late to invade his life once again. 

And yesterday, after the train ride, if someone had told him that this stunning guy was going to be his partner, Leo would have been overjoyed with the thought that maybe he could be so lucky. Because Neymar was very stunning, in every sense of the word.

But after last night and breakfast today, if someone had said, he would have gone in to ask for a new schedule, if only to escape his own embarrassment and pointless hopes.

Because for a minute there, with happy thoughts running through his head, Leo forgot who he was.

It had all started yesterday during the feast. Leo had been having a great time. Reminiscing with his Quidditch team about the past years, laughing at each other’s own retelling of past matches, and interrupting each other when they forgot one detail or another, Leo had never been left without a smile. 

And it only got brighter when his gaze had met Neymar’s across the room. It had been totally accidental, although Leo had been helping the coincidence by staring after him every so often. The Brazilian’s subsequent wink did things to Leo that he had never felt before. He didn’t even know the kid, and yet he already had a hold on him.

Of course, Ali and Mats hadn’t let him forget it afterwards. Every time they had caught him distracted, they had announced his actions to the rest of the group. Leo had prayed their voices didn’t carry over to the Gryffindor table, but he found out quickly he had been praying for the wrong thing. 

“Staring at your boyfriend, Messi? I heard you already sucked his dick on the train, are you really that insatiable?” 

Leo thinks it was Godin who had started the jeers. At least, he had been the one who spoke that particular remark, prompting the others to join. Leo was truthful when he said that Slytherin students were the first ones to ridicule his sexuality, but they weren’t the only ones.

“Yeah Leo, be sure not to get caught doing your wake of shame from the Gryffindor Tower tonight.” That one had been Juanfran. 

The two boys were in Ravenclaw. Arrogant idiots, who felt the need to make anyone they wanted lives a living hell. Leo was an exceptionally easy target. A soft spoken, tiny boy, who was gay, is all too easy of a pick. He was subjected to their rude comments day-in and day-out with no way to stand up for himself on his own, because his only defense mechanism was beating someone on the Quidditch pitch, which they never were.

Of course, that had given their friends the courage to speak out against Leo, too, but none of their insults were worth Leo’s time. They usually followed the hackneyed statements like, “What a fag!” and “Your ass must hurt!” All horribly unoriginal and stupid remarks in their own right. Leo had learned to tune those ones out long ago, but Godin and Juanfran’s snide remarks always seemed to strike a chord with him.

“Tell me, Leo, does Brazilian dick taste better than British dick?” Leo had remained silent. “Or maybe you need to suck another one to really get an opinion. I think you could shag the other guy that just came to our House, if you begged a little. Wouldn’t take much for a slut like you, though.”

“Hey! Cut it out and turn around. It’s not even the first day of school, like honestly just stop.” Mats had never been the best with dealing with them, but he tried. Usually he would just annoy them enough until they got irritated and left. And even then, Leo knew that they would eventually stop whenever Mats was around, because, although he refrained from violence, there was always the underlying threat Mats carried around, being a 6’2” boy of pure muscle. 

“Awe, is your side bitch jealous? I mean, I could see his fear. They say Brazilians are really easy…”

“I said cut it out!”

“Shut up!”

That had shocked the duo. Leo had never been really one to intervene, even on his own behalf, but Leo couldn’t stand them any longer. Lucky for him, the two had been so shocked that they had followed Mats’ advice. Once they had turned around, the tension in Leo’s shoulders had left him, but the words still rang in his mind. 

“Just ignore them, Leo,” Ali had said. 

This task was much easier said than done, of course. For the past two years Leo had dealt with this kind of ridicule, and at this point he was much less reactive to it. Because of their commentary, he was still sort of closeted on the issue. His friends made a lot of jokes about him and other guys, and Leo had learned to roll with them, but he honestly had never openly dated someone before. Which is why Leo didn’t understand how people could make fun of his sexuality when he had never done anything to prove it to be an authentic trait.

Not that there hadn’t been boys before, but they were few and far in-between, and not even at a height to be distinguished by anyone at school. 

Still, none of this discouraged the slurs of his peers. And although, Godin and Juanfran had stopped their harassment for the night, Leo knew that there was more to come. And, if they had heard about Leo’s time with Neymar on the train, then there was no question that Cristiano and his gang had heard it, too.

“Hey,” Mats had whispered to him as he frowned deeply at his lap. “Screw them, alright? This is our last year here and we shouldn’t let them ruin it for us. Just don’t let them get to you and especially don’t let them discourage you from pursuing Neymar. You deserve to be happy.”

Mats was a great motivator, it was one of his best qualities, amongst the millions that he had. He could cheer anyone up from anything. He made it his job to help as much as he could, sacrificing his own time for everyone else. 

And, Leo had always understood that that was why they were best friends. Because, on that one fateful day, Mats saw him for what he really was, a self-deprecating, charity case, who needed saving. 

Unlucky for Mats, Leo had thought for years, that he was not someone who could be fixed, or even worth trying to. Just another thing Leo had to burden the world for; wasting the talents of someone who was surely an angel sent down to mend the world by hand.

So, like always, instead of hurting Mats feelings with the sad truth, Leo had just smiled up at him, leaning against his shoulder as if saying, ‘I’m fine, thank you.’

And, like always, Mats had naïvely believed him, smiling down at him like he trusted Leo’s strength. 

The feast had ended moments after, and it wasn’t like Leo had been expecting anything good to happy the rest of the night, but he hadn’t been expecting anything bad either. And sure, all night he had watched Neymar converse excitingly with Dani, but that hadn’t stopped him from being surprised when the boys had entwined hands and practically fled the Great Hall. 

Before he went to sleep that night though, Leo had tried to convince himself that it didn’t mean anything. Dani had always been very affectionate when it came to his close friends, so he figured that’s what it was. Or maybe even a Brazilian thing.

Of course, the next morning he hadn’t seen Neymar with Dani, but he had saw him with everyone else, being just as ‘friendly.’ 

He and Mats had arrived there late, like usual, despite it being the first day. They had been early enough, though, to watch Rafael jump onto Neymar. They had stayed in each other’s arms, dramatically conversing about their situation, until David Luiz had cut in to get his own helping of the Brazilian boys. 

“They seem to know everyone,” Mats had observed, watching his own interest like a puppy does a tennis ball. And as Leo watched, his thoughts had turned to the worst. ‘What if he’s just like that with everyone, making yesterday just a fluke?’

It was common for Leo to always think the worst of the situation. He had stated yesterday that once Neymar got to school, he’d find someone better and completely forget about him. ‘And why shouldn’t he?’ Leo had thought. ‘There are plenty of more interesting people for him anyways.’

Leo, in his gloominess, had watched as David left to join Ivan and Ashlyn. Neymar and Rafael had continued to converse in their spot, touching each other every so often and spending a great deal of time brushing hands as Neymar handed over his schedule, without Mats eyes straying from them. Leo had been content to just go sit down and finally start to eat before class when the Brazilians conversation had turned sour and had embraced each other in a fight. This, of course, had caused Mats to jump into action immediately. He had ran over to the transfers quickly, pulling them apart easily like they weighed nothing. 

Leo had stayed long enough to see them explain, while they laughed, that it was a joke. Leo, not being in the mood to stand any longer of their annoyingly easy going relationship, had left the Great Hall without eating or witnessing anymore of Neymar’s charming antics.

So, there Leo had sat in the Potions room, tired, hungry, jealous, and depressed as Professor Guardiola raved about an even number class. Leo didn’t look up at the intruding Brazilians as they tried to excuse themselves. He didn’t look up when Professor Guardiola announced their names. He didn’t even glance up at Neymar when he was assigned his partner. He glowered when he heard Mats laughing loudly on the other side of the room. And he refused to greet Neymar properly and be characterized as nice for the beginning of class. 

Neymar wasn’t even hiding his obviously close tie to Rafael. Rafa, actually, as Mats had corrected him in Herbology when Leo had silently brooded and muttered about his newfound annoyance in Neymar. He had refused to allow to Mats say anything after that, not even letting him expand on the fact that he kissed Rafa’s hand, just shutting him down with a simple, “I don’t care!” 

Leo winced as he remembered his tone when he had interjected their silent conversation to tell Neymar to go get the ingredients. At the supply closet, Neymar had only continued talking to Rafa when they were rudely forced apart by none other than Antonella. 

Leo’s only thought had been that maybe the calming draught would be good for everyone.

“You forgot the jasmine.”

“Hmm?” Leo hummed, finally looking up at the golden eyed boy after ignoring him for five minutes of the stirring process. 

“Um,” Neymar nervously uttered as he showed Leo his own notes, pointing to the scribbled part that said ‘2 teaspoons of jasmine.’ “It goes in after five minutes of stirring, and then you say ‘Leniendo’ before you stir again.” Neymar looked at Leo with the eyes of a child, hoping not to get scolded for talking. 

Leo’s face soften at Neymar’s clear anxiety. He had no reason to make the boy feel this way, he had done nothing wrong in the first place, but Leo always had a knack for imposing his own mood on others. 

“Uh yeah, that’s right. Sorry I wasn’t paying attention. I have a lot on my mind.” Leo hoped that Neymar would get the hint that he was explaining his whole attitude today. Whether he understood it or not, Leo wasn’t sure, but the boy’s face still lit up at Leo’s apologetic tone.

“No, no, you’re fine. It’s the first day of school. It’s hard to get back into the swing of things so quickly,” Neymar spoke as he measured the jasmine himself. He poured the liquid into the cauldron and spoke the spell following it’s disperse. “I can stir, if you want, your arm must be hurting.”

At Neymar’s offer, Leo realized his arm did feel kind of numb. And as much as he wanted the distraction, he silently handed the spoon to the buoyant boy. 

Neymar took it happily, setting to work under Leo’s gaze. Leo was shocked to see how quickly the boy forgot that he was a complete asshole at the beginning of class. It was like that saying, ‘give someone an inch and they'll take a mile.’ 

Leo gawked at him, trying to understand his persona. Neymar now donned the Gryffindor red and gold colors proudly on his tie and crest. His hair was neatly made atop his head and his acne scars cast shadows in the dull lighting. His arms were exposed, because his sleeves were rolled up, revealing smooth, dark skin. His collar was upturned, whether on accident or purpose, Leo couldn’t decide.

Sadly, Leo’s attraction for him increased indefinitely.

“So,” Neymar spoke, gaining the momentum he needed to start a conversation. “I hear you know Dani.”

And just like that, Leo went back to his sullen mood. “Yeah, so?” He asked sharply.

“So, he, uh, wanted to introduce me to you properly, but that would seem redundant now.” 

“Why would he want to introduce us?” Leo asked confused. 

“Because we talked about you.”

“Why?” Why would he talk about him to Dani? What was there to talk about? He would’ve had to have told Dani that they flirted on the train. Something Leo didn’t think would please Dani, whether Neymar was with him or with Rafa. And Neymar had to be with one of them, for any of Leo’s assumption to be right. 

“Because I mentioned you,” Neymar simply answered.

“Why?”

“Because.”

“Because why?”

Neymar groaned, “I don’t know! Maybe because, uh…” Leo strained his ears as Neymar murmured quietly.

“What was that?”

“Because we talked on the train and I thought you were cute! There, happy?” Neymar exclaimed. There was a brief pause between his words, giving his face time to heat up and look alarmed, as if just realizing what he admitted to. “I mean, uh, I may have told him I spoke to you on the train and would maybe want to speak again because I thought you were cool and stuff, so he promised me that he would introduce us. But now, here we are in Potions together, so that would be a little stupid to do it again later.” Neymar stared fixedly at the cauldron, rolling his eyes at himself.

Leo smiled, happily surprised. “I think so, too.” 

“What?” Neymar asked, aggravated at Leo’s enigmatic statement.

Leo quickly rushed to explain himself, “I mean, uh, I thou- I think you’re cute, too. And I’m sorry that I was being rude at the beginning of class. I just thought… never mind it’s not important. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“Which is?”

“That I have a memory of an 80 year old man!” He laughed at his own lame joke, seemingly breaking the tension between them. “I do remember you from the train ride.”

“You do?” Neymar asked, not even trying to hide his excitement.

“Yeah, or course. I don’t, uh, usually flirt with random strangers. It was kinda a first for me.”

“So, it was flirting!” Neymar beamed brighter than before. At this point, Leo could barely see his eyes. They were scrunched up with laugh lines surrounding them. Instead, Leo ogled Neymar’s smile, which featured a wide spread of lips and vampire-looking teeth. Their white shade contrasted nicely with his dark skin, standing out engagingly.

Leo just smiled in return. Before he could say another word, Professor Guardiola announced that class would be ending soon, so everyone should put in the tea grains and then set their cauldrons on the windowsill to finish tomorrow. 

Once completed with the task, they were dismissed to next period. Leo fell into step beside Neymar, ignoring Mats smile, as they walked out.

“So, what do you have next?” Leo asked, turning to Neymar as they made their way into the Entrance Hall.

“Um, good question,” Neymar decided, abruptly stopping. He pulled a paper from his robes and stared at it, cutely scrunching his eyebrows together. “Herbology. Do you know where that is? I don’t want to be late again.”

Leo chuckled, “Yeah, I think after going here for seven years I know where it is.” Neymar glared and pushed his shoulder, upsetting the butterflies in Leo’s stomach. “I actually have Care of Magical Creatures right now, which is also outside the castle, so, if you want, I can walk you there.”

Neymar smiled again, “That’d be great! Just let me get my friend so he doesn’t get lost.” 

As Neymar turned to find Rafa, the butterflies in Leo’s stomach died away, leaving him feeling dejected again.

“Oh,” Neymar let out, causing Leo to look up again. “It seems your friend, Mats, has already swooped in to save him. Awe, my sly boy, already stealing guys’ hearts. Well, never mind him, let’s get going. Where to, Lionel?”

“Um, outside. And you can call me Leo, if you want.” Leo watched as the boy smiled widely again. And Leo, well, he was tired of trying to keep up with everything. He finally got the courage to ask,” So, you and Rafa, are you to…?” He fell silent letting the question speak for itself.

“Together? No, no, hell no,” Neymar answered quickly, laughing as they walked through the front door. “No, we’re just best friends, since like birth. Yeah, no, I’m totally single pringle.” Neymar blushed as he tried to retract his statement, clearing his throat to sound manlier, “I mean, uh, I’m not with anyone, right now. And I’m gay. Not that that matters or anything, just thought you should know.”

Leo smiled at the flustered boy, “It’s good to know.” Neymar’s cheeks heated up as he smiled shyly at the ground.

“Yeah, so there’s that. Rafa’s single, too, and gay, just so your friend knows. I think our friends might actually have crushes on each other. I don’t think I ever say him blush like that after Mats kissed his hand this morning. It was very cute.”

“Yeah, Mats couldn’t take his eyes off him last night. I promise you he’s like the sweetest guy ever, gay and single, too, so Rafa knows,” Leo added. 

“And you?” Neymar asked tentatively as they stopped in front of the greenhouse. They were alone at this point, the last to arrive. 

“Me?” Leo asked confused.

This time Neymar spoke confidently as he asked, “Are you single and gay?”

Leo blushed as he answered, “Yeah, I am.”

Neymar smiled his beautiful, vampire smile, “Good to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me your thoughts! I want to know how I'm doing and what you think I should incorporate more or less. Tell me your ideas, too!


	5. Picasso Skips Rocks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neymar just wants to finally understand the enigma that is Lionel Messi, so he crashes Rafa and Mats' date to get inside information. Later, he makes a splash on Leo's memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly not much happens in this chapter, but I've been stressing it too long so I just added the at ending scene and decided to put the other stuff I had written in the next chapter. I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated, I've been so busy! Soccer's ending soon though so hopefully expect more chapters soon!

Neymar’s first few weeks at Hogwarts passed quicker than any had in his entire life. Every day there was something new and exciting to catch his attention. The castle, the people, and the classes were all illuminating to him.

Although the stairs were killer, Neymar had gotten use to them. He was usually too busy running to his classes to really notice them. Plus, everything else around him was a good enough distraction. For example, the paintings and many ghosts around the school had all started to harass him under Dani’s instructions. Apparently, Jordi was right when he said Dani had some serious pull with people at the school. 

The friends he had made so far were so different from his ones back home. Neymar made friends quiet easily, his aura being too pleasant for anyone to dislike. He didn’t even have to think about it and he would find friends in the oddest of places. Even in Slytherin, which he found out wasn’t filled with all bad people, although some of them were pretty nasty.

His classes were challenging, but exhilarating all the same time, testing his abilities while also keeping him sated. He had decided his favorites were, of course, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms and Potions. He felt that the teachers for those classes were well equipped in teaching him, he was well prepared for their test, and, well, a boy with silky brown hair just happened to be in all of them. 

Leo invaded Neymar’s thoughts every day. He was captivated by him. And although he tried, Neymar was unable to characterize him as being one way, the boy was very contradictory. Leo was sometimes shy around Neymar, but also witty and talkative at others. Sometimes it seemed like he was flirting, and then the next moment he was awkward and deaden, like he didn’t know how to communicate properly. 

On the Quidditch pitch, though, he was completely graceful, at least as far as Neymar had glimpsed when he had seen Hufflepuff practicing. But when Neymar mentioned it to him later, Leo had gotten defensive and quiet on the subject. 

Leo’s attitude seemed to always depend on that particular day. All Neymar had to do was say hello to figure out what kind of mood he was in. Leo was either hot or cold, there was no in between. Some days he was his normal self and other days it was like he resented his own existence. 

It was a foreign idea to Neymar to be in such a one track minded mood for an entire day. The majority of his days were spent in happiness, but that didn’t mean other emotions didn’t exceed him. He would like to think they were at a happy balance.

With Leo, though, Neymar secretly thrived for the good days, treating them like a luxury and not wasting a moment. He spent every minute of those days getting to know Leo as much as he possibly could. He allowed himself to play a total fool, drinking in every word Leo said and equalizing it with his own trivial comment. 

But the bad days always followed. He couldn’t just neglect their presence. Leo was cold and silent those days, talking the minimum amount to keep Neymar satisfied. He seemed so depressed then, like all his happiness had just been drained from him. Neymar compared his mood to that of someone after a Dementor attack, but not even chocolate would make him feel better.

Leo was a completely new species to Neymar. No matter how close he felt to him on his good days, he just knew that he wasn’t at the point yet that he was trusted to no why he had the bad ones. And he wanted to know, because although a few other people had offered themselves to Neymar already, he was completely enraptured by Leo. He stole his attention like no one had ever before, and although it was taking him much longer than he thought to finally steal Leo’s heart, Neymar wasn’t deterred by a challenge.

All he wanted to know was why he was like that. Which is why Neymar took it upon himself to crash Rafa and Mats’ study date. He didn’t want to seem that desperate, but his patience only lasted so long. 

“Hey guys! How’s it going?” Neymar said, sitting across from the duo and causing many eyes to turn their way. Rafa and Mats looked up from the History of Magic book that rested between, forcing them to lean close together. Neymar felt bad about interrupting them, but, according to Rafa, Mats was completely infatuated with him as much as he was with him, so he figured it’d be okay this time. 

“Hey Neymar! It’s going great, just studying some history. How about you, how are you doing?” Mats asked excitedly. The only way Neymar could describe Mats was to compare him to a puppy. He was always happy to see him and greeted him as such. He was also very good to Rafa as far as Neymar could tell, which was a relief because Rafa deserved someone like Mats. Although Neymar had only seen them a couple times together, he could tell that Mats was very confident with himself, something he felt Rafa needed to work on. And Mats was also very affectionate, always touching Rafa somehow as if to show ownership. Whether he was holding Rafa’s hand or, like he was now, stroking Rafa’s thigh, Mats couldn’t keep his hands off him.

Not that Rafa complained or anything. He enjoyed the attention and wouldn’t dare say Mats was anything less than great. Actually, according to him, Mats was perfect in every conceivable way, right down to his breathtaking abs. Neymar had heard all about them one afternoon when Rafa explained how he happened to spill hot chocolate on himself during a free period and Mats had actually taken his button down off to give him his under shirt to wear. Neymar made fun of him afterwards, joking that he probably couldn’t speak when he saw them, but then again at least something was happening for Rafa, unlike him.

“I’m doing good, thank you. I’m sorry to interrupt…”

“Are you really?” Rafa questioned.

“Yes, I actually am, and I’ll be out of your hair quicker if you don’t start that smart mouth with me, palhaço.” Neymar glared at Rafa dramatically and then turned to Mats with a big smile. “Anyways, it’s about Leo.”

Mats had the audacity to look alarmed. “Oh my god, is he okay? What happened?”

Neymar quickly explained, lest Mats had a heart attack from jumping to too many conclusions, “Calm down, he’s fine.” Neymar held in a laugh as Mats visibly relaxed, letting out a big sigh. “It’s nothing like that, it’s just- look, you’re his best friend, so you probably already know how he feels about me. And it’s just- I like him, like a lot, and I’m trying to understand how he feels about me. Somedays, it’s great between us. He flirts and jokes and stares at me often enough that I can tell that there’s something there. But, on other days, he’s distant and moody, and just like acts so depressed. It’s a total 360, and I’m just trying to comprehend him. Is it something I do or…?”

Mats sighed again, “Yeah, I was afraid he’d start doing that again. It’s not you, I promise. See, he’s had a rough time ever since he came out gay, it coincidentally was how he turned down the prettiest girl in Hufflepuff. Guys on the other Quidditch teams have always been looking for a way to get under his skin, so when he finally presented himself with who he really was to the world, they pounced on it. Since then it’s been nothing but insults and taunts for him day in and day out. It’s because he’s amazing, and so much better than all of them that they tear him down. I just don’t understand why they have to do that.” At this point, Mats started to tear up. “He’s a good person and he doesn’t deserve their criticism. And Leo, well, he believes them. He lets it get to his head to the point that it upsets him and I can’t do anything about it. I try and try, but all I see him do is self-deprecate from their comments. And, like you observed, somedays are worse than others and he becomes irritable.”

Mats paused to wipe his eyes and rub his face. Rafa slung his arm around his back, rubbing up and down to try to soothe him. Neymar could see him whispering in Mats’ ear, trying to calm him down.

After a beat, Mats looked up again with a smile, “But that’s why I’m so happy you’re here, Ney! I’ve never seen him get so enthusiastic when he talks about someone before since you came to school. He gets this great, big, dumb smile on his face whenever I mention you, or when he tells a story about you. There’s no doubt that I get the exact same smile whenever Rafa is around, and look at us!” Rafa blushed deeply down at the table. “All I did was find the courage to ask him out, which you need to do, too. Leo is probably too naïve to even think you’d say yes, so you have to be the one to do it. And also, on those days when he’s being his moody little self, don’t let him discourage you. He truly is a happy person underneath all his negativity, all he needs is a little help.”

Neymar smiled slightly at Mats’ enthusiasm. He really was the perfect guy for Rafa. Neymar could practically see his heart stitched on his sleeve. His ever present love for people was extremely heartwarming. He was nothing like Rafa, ironically, but that was a good thing. Rafa was a little more closed off and too sarcastic sometimes. Neymar thought it would be a good thing for him to have someone in his life so high spirited. “Okay, okay, I’ll keep that in mind. Another question though,” Mats nodded, prompting Neymar to ask, “Why, uh… why, if he’s so good at Quidditch, why does he refuse to talk about it to me?”

Mats laughed abruptly, startling the Brazilians. “Well, that’s an easy question. Why didn’t you lead with that?” Neymar shrugged. “The reason he won’t talk to you about Quidditch is because, well, you’re the enemy.”

“I’m the enemy?”

“Yeah, you’re on a different team that goes against us. Look, even if you two were- I don’t know- married, he still wouldn’t talk to you about the teams here. He takes his Quidditch very, very, seriously. You can talk to him about professional teams and such, but mention anything about him or Hufflepuff and he’ll immediately clam up.”

Neymar was bewildered. “That seems a little drastic, no?”

Mats laughed, “Seriously? You two are the kings of dramatics!” Neymar glanced over at Rafa they both shrugged and nodded. “Don’t ask me though, that’s just how he is. Talk to him about anything else and you’re fine. But seriously,” Mats reached across the table to grasp one of Neymar’s hands. “I’m really happy you’re here, he needs someone like you in his life. I do my best, but, uh, maybe you can, um… service him in a way I can’t.” 

Neymar gasped dramatically, staring over at Rafa with surprised wide eyes. He looked back at Mats smiling, “Marc-I-don’t-remember-the-rest-of-your-ridiculously-long-name-egen! Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Neymar smirked as Mats’ face lit up. He removed his hand from Neymar’s and stood up, shaking his head violently. “Because I think you’re suggesting that I-” Before Neymar could get his sentence out, Mats reached across the table again to put his hand over Neymar’s mouth. 

“Stop it! You know what I mean! You don’t need to broadcast it to everyone here.” Mats’ face was as red as Neymar’s tie now. He could only stand there helplessly as Rafa and Neymar laughed profusely at his innuendo. He sat back down in his chair and dropped his head into his hands. 

“Oh babe, I think he understands exactly what you mean,” Rafa said, throwing Neymar a wink and moving to put his arms around Mats. “There’s no need to be embarrassed,” Rafa said, seductively. “Especially since we-”

“Alright, alright, that’s it! We are done discussing this! Neymar, you need to be more forward with Leo. And Rafa, you need to stop trying to distract me and instead tell me what countries the Founders of Hogwarts came from.” 

Rafa whined and pouted at Mats. Mats in turn sighed and kissed him to appease him. Rafa then grinned happily and turned to say good bye to Neymar. “I’ll see ya later, okay?”

Neymar smiled back, “Mhmm, see ya later, palhaço.” 

Neymar walked out of the Great Hall feeling rejuvenated. Although Mats’ advice was somewhat vague and he had thought that he already being pretty forward with Leo, Neymar was just happy to know it wasn’t his fault Leo got in those moods. 

Neymar couldn’t say that he emphasized with Leo though. At his old school, everyone had been very open to the idea of gay students. And even amongst his Quidditch teams and friends it had never been a problem for him. He hadn’t officially come out at Hogwarts yet, but enough of the people there knew that if they really cared to tell other people everyone would know by tomorrow. But Neymar wasn’t worth the news yet, he still had to make a name for himself. And if he was worth it, he wouldn’t care. Neymar had always thought that there was no reason to live his life without being completely honest with himself. 

So way back when, when he had realized he got a hard-on more from seeing guys in swimsuits than girls, he told Rafa immediately. Apparently Rafa had been feeling the same way too, so their bond only grew stronger. In the end, it was better for Neymar to come out like he did and fully embrace his sexuality. It was such a relief for him, he couldn’t imagine trying to keep it bottled up inside.

His thoughts distracted him enough to make him do a double take when he realized he was outside by the lake. He stumbled upon a spot mostly covered by trees, seemingly secluded from the castle. 

The lake itself was ginormous and rumored to have a giant squid in it, not that Neymar had seen it yet. Luckily to cure his newfound boredom, there was a bunch of rocks near the edge. Taking his shoes off and rolling up his pants, Neymar picked a bunch of them up and walked into the water. 

He had only thrown a few rocks when a voice broke his concentration. “You’re throwing them wrong.” 

And sure enough, like it was a movie, Neymar nearly slipped when he saw Leo casual standing on the path. He was wearing a simple black Hufflepuff sweater and simple black pants on top of his simple black shoes. He looked deliriously handsome.

“What?” Neymar asked dumbly when he realized he was staring too long.

Leo chuckled, “I said, you’re throwing them wrong.”

Neymar scoffed, “Like you know any better.” Neymar turned to skip another rock across the water only for it to fall in after two skips. And then after a beat, he turned back, “Well, are you gonna come over here, be like all the clichés and show me how to throw, or shall I come out there and show you something I am good at?” Neymar smirked teasingly at his own innuendo, winking as Leo’s face lit up.

Leo quickly ducked his head and pushed his shoes off. He rolled his pants and joined Neymar in the water.

“Ok, now let’s see you throw one, Picasso.”

“Picasso was a painter, not some great rock skipper or whatever.”

“Well there aren’t any famous rock skippers in the world, are there? So I just improvised. Stop trying to prolong this and just throw.” 

Leo gave him one last remorseful look and threw his rock. His rock skipped seven times before it fell to the bottom. 

Neymar turned to him, faking his dismay, “You little minx, you just have to be good at everything don’t you.”

Leo looked at him guiltily and ducked his head again. “No.”

“No what?”

“No, I’m not good at everything. I suck at cooking, and cleaning, and may God have mercy on your soul if you ever see me dance.”

“But you’re good at this,” Neymar countered.

Leo sighed, “Yeah, but that’s because I’ve had many years of practice. I come here often, whenever it’s nice out and I’m bored.” Leo smirked and nudged Neymar’s shoulder, “And actually, I’m kinda mad you found it because now all my rocks will be gone.”

Neymar laughed at his childishness. Then a thought occurred to him. “Okay, I see your reason for irritation, but how about this. How good are you at that shield spell we learned in Defense class yesterday?”

Leo looked at him questioningly, “Mine are kinda small, but pretty good. Why?”

“Come closer then and cast it around us.”

Leo, still looking bewildered, stepped up right next to Neymar, brushing their bodies together. Neymar tried to hide his excitement as Leo casted the spell.

Neymar smiled, “Okay now don’t freak out or you’ll kill us. Accio rocks!”

Before Leo had a chance to react, all the rocks the two had just thrown in the lake came hurtling back towards them. As expected, they hit the shield harshly and then fell to their feet. Expect for a flinch when they hit, neither of them had disrupted the spell.

“See there you go, all your rocks are back!” Neymar exclaimed, turning to Leo excitedly. Since Leo had stepped forward to cast the spell, their proximity had shorten dramatically. Now their faces were inches apart, breath mixing together as Leo stared up into Neymar’s eyes. 

Looking down at him, Neymar realized Leo’s eyes kept flicking down to his lips, quickly and timidly like he was hoping he wouldn’t get caught. Neymar on the other hand had no problem blatantly staring at Leo’s pink lips, licking his own to catch Leo’s gaze again. 

And although he wanted so badly to kiss Leo, his subconscious kept screaming, “Too much! Too soon!’ Leo didn’t seem like the guy to rush things with, if his actions the past month haven’t been a good enough indicator. 

No, if Neymar wanted Leo to let him into his world, he would have to take things slow. Be forward with his intentions like Mats said, but also keep their activity to a minimum unless Leo instigates it. But for now he would allow this one slip.

Neymar leaned forward slightly prompting Leo to, too. Their lips were centimeters apart now, almost touching. Leo’s eyes were completely focused on Neymar’s lips, half lidded and waiting to close. Neymar smirked mischievously at Leo’s expression. 

Just as Leo leaned forward to finally press their lips together, Neymar pulled away and instead planted a kiss on his cheek. Before Leo had a chance to react, Neymar splashed his way out of the water, leaving the dumbfound boy behind him. As he pulled his shoes on, Neymar glanced back at Leo who was now looking at him with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. Neymar just laughed loudly and started to jog down the path to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyways, Public Service Announcement:  
> I am figuratively beating myself up for not thanking you guys for commenting on this or even reading this story, but you should know I appreciate you more than life! Literally. I hate saying that I'm busy cause I feel like its a bad, fake excuse, but its true and I just want to say thank you to all of you who have ever commented or read this! I truly cherish you guys!


	6. Until the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo has finally settled into Hogwarts for his final year, and although some things in his life are looking up, he can't dismiss the effects that his bullies have on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I prefer to write from Leo's POV, so this chapter is a little longer than all the others. It's also longer because I realized that most of it was just the last chapter told in his POV and I want to try and move the story along faster because it's going so slow already.

By the end of the first month, Leo is back in the swing of things at Hogwarts. Quidditch try-outs were held the other day and their team was set for the season. Practices followed afterwards, filling Leo with a joy that nothing else in the world could. He was immensely excited to win his final season at Hogwarts and their chances were looking very good. 

But with being back in the swing of things meant that his tormentors were also back in it. And despite Quidditch games not being underway yet, their harassment began immediately. After the incident with Godin and Juanfran, Cristiano and his gang had decided to start in on him, too. 

The schedule for Quidditch came out shortly after their first practice, revealing that Hufflepuff would play Slytherin first. Once this had been announced, their insults had grown more frequent. 

Leo liked to think he was handling their ridicule well, but he knew he wasn’t. Mostly he just tried to ignore them or avoid them. He only really saw them in the morning at breakfast so it wasn’t like it was an all-day torment, but then again that gave them the chance to ruin his whole day by putting him in a bad mood. 

So to avoid them, sometimes he just wouldn’t go down to breakfast, insisting with Mats that he was too tired to go and that he could just grab something from the kitchen elves later, but that only worked half the time. Mats didn’t like for him to stay in bed, because he knew how easily Leo could just sleep through the day, so most times he would force him to go down to the Great Hall.

Leo couldn’t blame him though, because he coincidentally did his best to make sure Mats never found out that they were still harassing him. Mats negligence about the occurrences was no fault but his own, so he shouldn’t condemn him for it. He actually worried constantly about Mats finding out the extent of his torment. It was very important to Leo that he didn’t let it become Mats problem, too, because he refused to burden him anymore. And sure, Mats probably knew that there was something going on, but he sure as hell didn’t know that the Slytherins had perfected the art of bullying him over the summer, name calling not being the main focus anymore but rather insinuating all the worries Leo already had were in fact true. 

On a happy note though, his classes so far had been mostly review so that was one less thing to worry about. The only problem in them was whenever Neymar would distract him, which seemed to be all the time now. It wasn’t like he would do something specifically to try and distract Leo, no, it was just his presence in general. Leo tried to concentrate on the classes, but then Neymar would smile, and the whole room went dark expect for his blinding white vampire teeth. Leo would always stare at his mouth a second too long, not realizing that everyone else was continuing with class, completely ignoring the fact that the sun had somehow landed in their classroom seemingly just to dazzle them with his effervescent personality and charming smile. 

Neymar thankfully never called him out on his ogling. Keeping the same bright smile, he would call Leo’s attention back and they would continue on with class. It was during those times that Leo wished he had the courage to say something kittenish, to tell him how beautiful he was, to flirt carelessly like Mats does with Rafa, but, like always, he would clam up and shyly turn away. It was getting worse, too. Sometimes he wouldn’t know what to say to Neymar at all, so he would turn into the mute he knew he was born to be.

Currently, these thoughts started to haunt him more pressingly, so, like he usually did when he had free time, he went down to his secret spot by the lake to sort them out. But, because of course nothing in his life was sacred, when he walked down there, he found it not to be much of a secret anymore.

Neymar, however he had done it, found another way to disrupt his life, if he hadn’t already enough by invading Leo’s thoughts constantly. Neymar stood there in the water attempting to skip rocks along the surface. After he saw Neymar throw yet another rock straight into the water, Leo decided to speak.

“You’re throwing them wrong.”

Leo took pleasure in seeing the boy jump as he turned to see who the voice belonged to. But of course, it also cause Leo distressed as he realized he had lost his own ability to breath. Neymar’s turn towards him was like a model on the runway. His face caught the light perfectly, highlighting the color of his skin and turning his eyes gold. The top three buttons of his shirt were popped open revealing even more smooth tan skin. Tie long forgotten showing off a turned up collar, and rolled up pants to avoid the water, Neymar looked unruly in a pretty prep school boy kind of way, which was also a good way to describe the way he carried himself around the school. There was so much to look at, so many little fixture that added together to make the gorgeous boy in front of him that Leo got lost in them, staring at every piece longer than the other. Fortunately for Leo, Neymar stared back at him too long too, trailing his eyes down the length of Leo’s body, freezing him in place.

Eventually, Neymar asked with a shocked expression, “What?”

Leo couldn’t help but chuckle at Neymar’s confusion. “I said, you’re throwing them wrong.”

Neymar’s attitude quickly changed to defensive as he scoffed, “Like you know any better.” And just like the child that still inhabited his body would do, Neymar turned and threw another rock across the water. This time it skipped twice, and all Leo could think was how embarrassed Neymar must be now. He held off a smile as Neymar turned back and said, “Well, are you gonna come over here, be like all the clichés and show me how to throw, or shall I come out there and show you something I am good at?”

Leo gasped silently at Neymar’s boldness. The boy didn’t seem even a little bit embarrassed as he shamelessly winked at Leo. And because he wasn’t as brave as Neymar to let him step from the water and show him exactly what he was good at like he desperately wanted too, Leo instead quickly took his shoes off and joined him, trying to hide his blush. 

“Ok,” Neymar said once they were beside each other. “Now let’s see you throw one, Picasso.”

And because obviously he didn’t know how to be charming, Leo rebuked him for saying Picasso, since he wasn’t a famous rock thrower. Neymar defended his statement, saying he just improvised him as one. Then he encouraged Leo to finally throw a rock. 

Leo had first discovered this spot back in his second year, so he had plenty of years to practice rock skipping. He gave Neymar one last mournful look and threw his rock skidding across the water triumphantly.

Neymar, being his dramatic self, turned to him saying, “You little minx, you just have to be good at everything don’t you.”

And that struck something with Leo, as he skipped another rock, because there was plenty of things he was horrible at, if only Neymar knew him better. 

“No.” For instance, making friends and ignoring bullies. 

“No what?” Defending himself. Staying positive.

“No, I’m not good at everything. I suck at cooking, and cleaning, and may God have mercy on your soul if you ever see me dance.” Being confident. Talking. Sleeping at night.

“But you’re good at this,” Neymar countered. And sure, Leo was adequate at throwing a stupid rock across the water, but that didn’t account for much. 

He sighed, “Yeah, but that’s because I’ve had many years of practice. I come here often, whenever it’s nice out and I’m bored.” And because he wanted to lighten his own mood, “And actually, I’m kinda mad you found it because now all my rocks will be gone.” He nudged Neymar’s shoulder as he said this and it was a miracle he got it all out without losing his nerve. 

He was rewarded afterwards with the ring off Neymar’s laugh. “Okay,” Neymar said with a smile. “I see your reason for irritation, but how about this. How good are you at that shield spell we learned in Defense class yesterday?”

Leo was pretty capable of the spell, but his were usually too small, which he told Neymar and then asked, “Why?”

Leo’s heart nearly stopped when Neymar answered, “Come closer then and cast it around us.”

Leo, completely bewildered still, happily stepped forward next to Neymar, brushing up against him. The sensation of falling petals went through his stomach.

Neymar smiled at him, telling him not to freak out before he uttered, “Accio rocks!”

And then, all the rocks they had just skipped came rushing back at them, bouncing against Leo’s shield harshly. Luckily, they both had only flinched, so the spell held. 

Neymar turned to him excited about the success of their spells, saying that now Leo had his rocks back, but Leo barely heard him. They were right in front of each other now, faces inches apart, and all Leo could focus on was Neymar’s golden eyes. And his lips. They were so pink and full with a natural pout. They disappeared behind his tongue as Neymar licked across them. A crime really to be able to hide them like that, but it was also a crime to have such enticing lips in the first place. They were like a serpent, tempting Leo to commit crimes of his own. Theft of their touch and feelings of promiscuity were felonies that would surely be his undoing. 

So Leo couldn’t be faulted when he found himself leaning into Neymar subconsciously. And Neymar leaned, too, so at least they would be committing the crime together.

But, when they were mere centimeters apart, Neymar stopped leaning. Taking this as an initiative to close the last of the distance, Leo made the extra move forward.

But he was meant with air.

Neymar, the little brat that he was, had backed away at the very last second to instead kiss Leo on the cheek. The touch was fleeting, but heart-warming all the same. The petals fell as full flowers now, and Neymar’s lips left pink all over his cheeks. 

His expression fell into one of confusion and annoyance as Neymar splashed away from him, gathering his stuff up and running back up the path to the castle like he didn’t just set off explosions in Leo’s stomach. The poor flowers never had a chance. 

Leo stood there for a second longer, reveling in the feel of it all. He silently knew that all of this would come to an end soon, once Neymar came to his senses, so he might as well enjoy every minute of it until then. Like Mats said, he deserved to be happy. And no, Leo didn’t really believe that, but he did believe that he deserved to have it all hurt more in the end, so he might as well let himself fall.

He ended up staying there for another hour before he walked back to the castle slowly, enjoying the nice day that seemed to shine brighter now. He decided to go to the common room to see if he could find Mats for dinner. He found him with Rafa at the top of the stairs leading down to the Hufflepuff common room. 

“Now just remember,” Mats said, smiling. “Godric Gryffindor…”

“Hails from the Hollow,” Rafa supplied, grinning back.

“See, I just know you’re going to ace this! I can feel it, I swear! Just remember what I said about his tests and you’ll be fine.”

“I know I’ll be fine because you are such a good tutor. And God knows I want to get full marks,” Rafa replied in a sultry tone, pressing against Mats while looking up into his eyes as he pulled on his tie. “Because I distinctly remember you saying you would do something to my ass that would leave me screaming your name if I did, so I’m sure I can’t miss that chance.” Leo watched Mats face turn bright red as Rafa pulled harder on the tie to pull Mats’ lips to his.

Leo decided to interrupt them before it went any farther. “Ok, ew! I did not need to hear that. Way to ruin my appetite,” Leo supplied out loud, causing the other two to jump apart quickly. 

They both avoided his eye contact as they tried to hide their shame. Rafa took a few steps backwards behind Mats to hide his face from view. 

Mats spoke first, ranting, “I’m terribly sorry, Leo, totally didn’t see you there. Um, how was your day? Mine was great. Rafa and I here were just leaving the library to get ready for dinner. I was hoping to find you before we did, because Rafa’s invited us to sit with his friends. Ya know, Dani and Neymar…”

Leo didn’t miss the way he deliberately stressed Neymar’s name. Secretly he rejoiced in the fact that he would be able to sit near Neymar at dinner, but he was also skeptical about how Neymar would interact with him in front of his friends. Leo feared that he would be civil and friendly, but nowhere near as affectionate as he was at the lake. 

“Yeah,” Leo finally answered. “Sounds fun. But for my sake could you two please try to keep the snogging to a minimum, at least until I’m done eating.”

The two lovers laughed. Rafa stepped from behind Mats and smiled at Leo saying, “I should say the same to Neymar.” With a wink and a kiss to Mats cheek, Rafa left the laughing giant and the blushing dwarf behind. 

Leo turned to glare at Mats once Rafa was out of sight. He pushed past him to walk down the steps and then into the common room. He plopped down on the couch nearest to him and groaned excessively. 

“Awe, what’s wrong with my little leprechaun today?” Mats asked, kneeling beside his head and combing through his hair. 

‘What isn’t wrong with me?’ Leo asked himself. “He found it.”

“What?”

“My secret spot.”

“Who found what where?”

Leo sat up abruptly, startling Mats. “Neymar. He found my secret spot. Ya know, the one I go to by the lake that no one, even you, has seen. He found it today somehow. I ironically had gone down there to think about him, and there he was, skipping MY rocks into the water, and very poorly might I add, the little bastard.”

“Ok no need to call him that, they’re just rocks. But otherwise, awe! That is totally fate! You went down there to think about him and there he was! It’s totally meant to be, Leo, you can’t deny it anymore!” Mats exclaimed excitedly, shaking Leo’s arm. “So what else happened?” He asked, eyes gleaming.

Leo sighed, “Well, I complained about my rocks, right? So he suggested we use the Summoning Charm and a shield to get them back. I had to step closer to cast the shield, so we were pressed right against each other, and then he turned to me with this mischievous look in his eyes and the next thing I knew he kissed my cheek.”

“Your cheek?” Leo nodded. “Well that’s so weird, because today he came to me asking for advice about you and I told him to be more forward, not a little girl who kisses cheeks.”

Leo looked at him with wide eyes. “He what?”

Mats grinned teasingly, “Yep, he ambushed me and Rafa in the library demanding answers about you, so I told him some things I knew and he told me that he really likes you. Leo I really, really like him, too! And I think he’s perfect for you! Please don’t doubt yourself and just go for it. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

Leo turned to look at the wall, his mind racing. It was obvious that Neymar liked him, but to go to Mats for advice was something more. It was completely unbelievable to Leo that someone would like him that much. He was plain, so utterly simple Leo. And Neymar hadn’t even seen him play Quidditch yet, the only place he shined. 

“You have to be exaggerating, Mats.”

“I’m not, I swear! Just tonight at dinner keep an open mind, okay?”

Leo sighed, “Fine. I will for you.”

“No,” Mats declared firmly. “You’re gonna do this for you. You deserve this so much, Leo, you’re so great. I know you don’t think so, and I can’t seem to convince you but I think he can, if only you would give him the chance.”

Leo smiled sadly, because this is what Mats did, he always tried to lift everyone’s sprits like this while also downplaying his own abilities. He truly was a gift that Leo abused constantly. ‘If I don’t even deserve him, how am I to believe I deserve anything more?’

“Thanks, Mats, I’ll try.”

Mats smiled widely, showing off his sharp canines. He pulled Leo into a hug, squeezing hard. “Good, because the first Hogsmeade trip is coming up and I want you guys to come on a double date with Rafa and me.”

Leo laughed, “So I really am doing this for you then, huh?”

“No!” Mats exclaimed blushing, “I’m just saying that it would be fun if we did go altogether! Now, go get ready for dinner so you can have a chance of that happening.”

Leo nodded at Mats and got up. He ran quickly to his room to grab a pair of dry pants and socks. He fluffed his hair as he walked back into the lounge to follow Mats out of the common room and upstairs into the Great Hall.

Leo spotted Neymar instantly, not because he had a unique ability these days of spotting him first in a room, but because he currently was standing on one of the benches at the Gryffindor table, jumping in the air to try and grab a wing of chicken that was levitating above him. With every jump, the bench rattled, making the other occupants that sat on it glare at him. Leo knew it was only a matter of time before one of the teachers noticed or the bench cracked in two. 

As Leo hurried over to help Neymar, he noticed that it was Dani that was playing with him. Leo saw him lift his wand every time Neymar got close to the piece of chicken, making the wing go higher in the air. Making quick work of the situation, Leo muttered, “Expelliarmus,” disarming Dani. His wand flew perfectly into Leo’s hand. Leo then drew his attention back the piece of chicken, using his wand to summon it to him right before it fell into Neymar’s outstretched hand.

Two could play at the teasing game.

“Dammit Messi, do you have to ruin all the fun?” Dani asked, laughing. The rest of the table turned towards him, including a pouting Neymar. 

“Yes, I suppose I do. I personally just didn’t want to see the bench break under all of Neymar’s weight. I don’t even think ‘Reparo’ would be able to fix that mess,” Leo answered teasingly as he walked the remaining distance over to the table to stand in front of Neymar. He stuffed Dani’s and his wand into his cloak, looking up into Neymar’s eyes. Neymar’s pout then turned into a frown as his friends burst out laughing behind him. Leo winked up at him.

Neymar groaned, “Why is everyone bullying me today?” Leo’s smile faltered at that, but he pushed those thoughts away. “I just wanted to eat a nice piece of chicken, and all my friends decided to torture me!”

Everyone continued to laugh at Neymar’s whining. Neymar turned to Leo, full on pouting now to beg, “Leo, please can I have my chicken back? I just want to eat, I’m so hungry!”

“Why can’t you just eat a different piece?” Leo asked, clearly noticing the whole chicken that sat in front of them.

“Because I only like the wings and Rafa already took one of them. Please can I have it?” 

Leo smirked up at the pleading boy. He reached up with his hand, motioning him to come down. Neymar wrapped one hand around Leo’s neck as Leo’s arm came to wrap around his back. Neymar leaned heavily into Leo as he jumped down from the bench, making the both of them stumble backwards a few steps. As they righted themselves, Neymar took the opportunity to reach for the piece of chicken. Leo quickly moved it from his reach turning them in a circle. They fought for it a moment longer until Leo finally relented and let Neymar grab it.

Leo was rewarded with a blinding smile, and then a second later, hopefully too quickly for anyone else to notice, a swift kiss to his nose of all places. And again, before Leo had a chance to react, Neymar briskly turned back to the table and sat down, biting into the wing. 

“Come sit down, Leo, I want my wand back,” Dani said, breaking Leo from his trance. Leo quickly sat down in the empty spot next to Neymar, pulling Dani’s wand out. As Dani reached his hand out to take it back, Leo moved it away, just as he had done to Neymar. 

“Uh huh, I will only give it back to you if you promise not to levitate Neymar’s chicken anymore.” Neymar turned to him with bright eyes, absolutely shining at Leo’s demand. He then turned to Dani smirking and nodding his head. Dani shook his head at them and agreed. Once he took it from Leo’s hands, Dani quickly used his wand to levitate Neymar’s roll into the air and over to Gerard Pique’s plate, who in turn ate it in one bite.

“Hey! I was gonna eat that! Leo!” Neymar exclaimed, turning to a laughing Leo.

“He said I wasn’t allowed to levitate your piece of chicken, not your roll,” Dani explained, smirking.

Leo could only nod as he reached for his own food. He dutifully grabbed two rolls and gave one to a petulant Neymar, who then stuck his tongue out at Dani who in turn only rolled his eyes.

The rest of dinner went on without incident. Most of the conversation revolving around teasing Neymar, which Leo also took part in. Neymar whined at all of them, pleading with them to stop. And as much as he tried to repress his thoughts, lest his daydreams cause some ill-advised hard-ons, Leo liked seeing Neymar like this, whimpering and begging in a tone that enticed him. Whenever Neymar would turn to him with those big eyes, pushing his bottom lip out provocatively, Leo couldn’t be faulted for thinking of Neymar with the same expression in a different context. Images of Neymar looking up at him on his knees, begging for his cock clouded Leo’s mind. Or even underneath him on the bed, whining as he tried to break the hold Leo had on his hands-

“Leo!”

Leo snapped his attention towards Rafa, “Hmm?”

“Stop staring at Neymar and listen!” Leo blushed profusely as everyone else laughed. “Now we were just talking about the Hogsmeade trip that’s coming up next week, are you coming?”

Leo faced the group’s expectant expressions. Mats nodded his head at him, while Rafa and Dani gave him knowing looks. Finally, Leo turned to Neymar’s hopeful expression. He found himself nodding along as he answered, “Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Awesome, okay so…” Rafa continued on to arrange a plan for the trip. Leo, though, tuned him out, because Neymar was smiling radiantly at him. Like always, it was like the room ceased to exist except for the two of them.

Leo whispered quietly, “Are you going, too?”

Neymar nodded, “Definitely.”

Leo returned his brilliant smile. Deliberately, he sought out Neymar’s hand that lay on the bench. Turning back to his pudding, Leo rested his hand on top of Neymar’s, squeezing it slightly. 

Mere minutes later, Leo’s attention was drawn to a paper airplane that swirled in the air above them. It seemed to be floating calmly enough until it abruptly stop directly above him. Then, it dove straight down into his pudding, splattering it all over him. Leo’s heart sunk as he saw his name scrawled across a wing in that cursive handwriting he knew too well. He quickly pulled it from his desert, noticing for the first time that the plane wasn’t just made of paper, but also a small rock was set in the front that obviously caused the splatter. 

He was sure his face turned even paler than usual as he unraveled it to read its contents. He huddle around the note, ignoring everyone’s questions. Once he had finished it, he stuffed the paper deep into his robes, getting the pudding in his hair by rubbing his face excessively.

“Leo,” Mats spoke, “What’s the note say?”

Leo looked up at the rest of table. How he was supposed to tell these strangers the truth about himself? How he was supposed to tell them what the smart people in the world already thought about him, what they in time would think too. How was he supposed to just be comfortable with letting his friends know that fucking Cristiano Ronaldo not only had found his secret hiding spot today, too, but had also seen him there with another boy earlier? Another boy that currently sat beside, giving him a confused and worried look. A boy that, like the note stated, was totally out of his league and, like Leo thought too, would forget his existence once he fell into the right group of friends at school. 

How was he supposed to do all of that without releasing his own pathetic opinions on himself, too?

“It’s, uh, nothing really. Um, it’s just Ali telling me I’m a shit friend for ditching her for dinner today to sit with you guys, that’s all.” Leo forced a smile as he said this to try and make his lie believable. Most of the group accepted it, turning back to their conversations instantly. All that was left was Mats’ and Neymar’s scrutiny. 

Leo gave Mats a look as if to say ‘later’ before he turned to Neymar saying, “So, did you finish the Charms homework or do you have to copy mine again?” Because the destruction was already done for the day, so he might as well enjoy Neymar’s presence until the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My soccer season is ending soon so hopefully quicker updates. Thanks for reading and your comments are greatly appreciated like always!


	7. Two Boys Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jordi's secret inspires Neymar to test his pranking abilities at his new school. He also continues to test Leo's patience with his teasing kisses, but it turns out Leo isn't as happy as Neymar with his plan to take things slow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love updating. I feel so refreshed afterwards.  
> If you were wondering what ever happened to that box of chocolates Marcelo gave to Neymar to give Dani, then today's your lucky day! And if you were wondering why I even bothered putting Jordi into this story, then your questions will be answered once again!

A feeling of hopelessness washed over Neymar as he saw Leo’s face pale at the contents of the note. Although Leo did well to hide most of the writing from everyone else, Neymar could still clearly make out the word ‘FAG’ written at the top. He felt his stomach churn at the word, but when Leo blatantly lied to the group about the details of the note, he felt it flip. He tried to steel his expression to a more passive look as Leo turned to ask him if he did the Charms homework, attempting to change the conversation.

Neymar answered him back politely, pretending that the note didn’t exist. It wasn’t his place to butt into, at least not yet. He felt a distinct yearning to be that close to Leo, to be able to help him with his tormentors, but he wasn’t there yet. Leo still had Mats, and Neymar knew as long as he was around nothing terrible would happen to Leo. So for now, until Leo decided he was worthy of his demons, Neymar contented himself to be his reliever. 

“Are you kidding me? Of course I didn’t do it!” A ghost of a smile crossed Leo’s face, enough for Neymar to continue joking, “C’mon Leo, you should always assume that I didn’t do it. You might as well just start doing the assignment twice to save both of us the trouble.”

Leo’s smile grew, “Actually that wouldn’t save me any trouble since I’ll be doing the assignment twice.”

“But then you wouldn’t have to listen to me complain about your handwriting as I copy it. As far as I’m concerned, I actually think it will take us less time if you just do it twice.” 

Leo rolled his eyes, “How about I just help you with it tomorrow?”

Neymar’s heart leaped at the thought of another day spent with Leo, “Yeah sure! Same place as today?”

“No!” Leo exclaimed quickly, face turning pale again. The rest of the group glanced up briefly, but then hastily turned back to their deserts. “I mean, no,” Leo said quieter, trying not to disturb anyone else. “I was just thinking the library.”

Neymar tried to not let his confusion show, “Ok, that’s fine. It’s a date then.” Neymar smirked as Leo blushed at his choice of words. 

“Whoa Ney, don’t forget about Quidditch practice,” Dani interrupted. “I swear if you miss your first practice for a little school-boy date with Leo, I will not hesitate to kick you off the team. I don’t care how good you are, you still have to follow the rules and, because you’re new, you’re on thin ice already.” 

Neymar rolled his eyes, “Oi, don’t patronize me. I know we have practice! I was just about to say it can’t be between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.”

Geri laughed from across the table as Dani shook his head. “You foolish boy, what is wrong with your life? It’s from 9-12, three hours long not two,” Geri clarified, causing Neymar’s face to flush in embarrassment. 

“Whatever, I was close enough,” Neymar tried to explain as everyone found themselves laughing at him again. Neymar continued, “Why is it three hours long anyways? Our first match is against Crowtalon, and everyone knows they must suck if they let Rafa on the team. Obviously their talent pool is very low this year.”

“Hey!” Rafa defended as the laughter continued. 

Their attention was then drawn to the front of the room where their headmaster was attempting to gather everyone’s attention. After a few minutes, the whole room finally grew silent. Quickly and awkwardly, Headmaster Bartomeu wished them all a good night and told them to return to their common rooms. 

Once Neymar turned back to his table, he was surprised, like always, to see the food gone. He wondered, as he stood up, where it all went after every meal, which he in turn asked Leo.

“Back to the kitchen,” Leo explained as they walked out of the Great Hall. “I suppose the elves eat it or use the leftovers for future meals. Professor Ronaldinho says they feed some of it to the animals, too.”

“Elves?” Neymar questioned.

“Yeah, house-elves,” Leo answered, looking up at Neymar’s confused face. “They make our meals and clean our dormitories.” Neymar’s expression still hadn’t wavered, so Leo asked, “Have you never heard of them?”

Neymar blushed, “Um, I mean, I have heard of them before, but I’ve never seen one and like they’re only ever been mentioned in passing and… I honestly didn’t think that they were real.” Leo looked at him, clearly shocked “Don’t give me that look! They don’t have any in my neighborhood in Brazil, so I just assumed they were a fable.”

Leo grinned, “Ok but, like, you do believe in dragons, hippogriffs, and centaurs?” Leo waited for Neymar to nod and then continued, “But you find elves hard to believe?” 

Neymar sighed, “Yeah, I don’t know, I just didn’t believe that wizards would have slaves at this day and age.”

“They’re not really slaves, more like maids actually. And they want to do the work, that’s what they’re supposed to do, ya know, like it’s their job.”

They stopped at the staircase, preparing to separate since Neymar was going up and Leo was going down. “Ah, well you’ll have to tell me more tomorrow I guess.” A silence fell between them as the other students made their way to their dormitories. Neymar so wanted to kiss Leo goodbye, but he knew Leo probably wouldn’t appreciate it him doing so in front of the few student still left in the Entrance Hall. So he improvised, “Hey what’s that over there?” 

“What?” Leo asked 

“That,” Neymar said, pointing at a spot just beyond the other side of the staircase that opened into another hall. He jogged down it, pretending to be going after the invisible object he saw. Thankfully, he heard Leo’s footsteps following behind him. Once Leo reached the spot right behind him, Neymar turned around swiftly and pushed him against the wall behind a protruding spire, effectively hiding them from view. 

Neymar had had full intention of finally kissing Leo on the lips, a real honest to God kiss, but Leo’s eyes stopped him. Wide and fearful, they darted around nervously, looking for a way out. Or maybe looking for his tormentors, Neymar wasn’t sure. Leo, tense underneath his hands, slightly shook with anxiety.

Again, Neymar paused. ‘Slow’ he told himself, remembering his plan to keep Leo comfortable, especially after that note. Whether the note specifically linked him to Leo, Neymar knew that Leo’s reaction to it today proved his theory about his confidence. 

‘Slow, you don’t want to scare him away.’

Neymar lent forward quickly before Leo could stop him, bringing his hand up to Leo’s head to station it. His lips brushed Leo’s cheek hesitantly, and then firmly when he felt no resistance. His lips left the cheek with a wet smack.

He moved back to find Leo standing with his eyes closed. They flashed open the seconds later. The same confused and annoyed expression from before crossed Leo’s face as he stared after Neymar’s retreating form. 

Neymar smiled at him, “Goodnight Leo.”

And before Leo could break from his haze, Neymar turned around and walked back to the stairs. 

 

“There you are! I was beginning to worry that you got lost again,” Jordi said once Neymar made it to the common room. He sat on one of the couches nibbling on a muffin. Geri, Adriano, and Dani surrounded him in their own reclined position, looking far less worried about his whereabouts. 

“Oh no, I was just, um, talking to Leo,” Neymar answered shyly.

Adriano groaned from his position in front of the fire, “Of course you were! If you’re not in class or you’re not here, you’re with him. I swear it’s like he has a spell on you!” Abruptly, he paused all movement. He turned to Neymar and spoke in the most serious voice, “He doesn’t have a spell on you, does he?”

“Oi! Don’t be stupid now. Leo wouldn’t dare put a spell on him, it’s not in his character,” Geri answered sternly. “And anyways,” he said smiling widely now, “If Neymar was under a spell, he would have no idea of the fact.”

“Yeah,” Dani remarked, “But you guys don’t know Neymar like I do. When he wants a dick, he has to have that dick, so I highly doubt Leo would have to put him under a spell.”

Neymar rolled his eyes as everyone burst out laughing. At this point, he was use to everyone making jokes at his expense, especially Dani. Making fun of him for his infatuation with Leo was his favorite activity these days.

“Ha ha ha, very funny Dani. I would actually like to inform you I like people for more than just their bodies, unlike you. Yes, don’t think I forgot about your fling with that younger boy Mu-”

“Ya know,” Dani interrupted, voice going up an octave. “I was just joking ok-”

“Oh my god!” Adriano exclaimed. “Munir! That was his name, right? I remember him! The second you saw him on the beach that one day you just said you ‘had to have him.’ You were so in love with his body. You use to rave about his co-”

“Shut up! Let us not relive the past, now!” Dani turned to Neymar, red faced, “I’m sorry I said that, I know you actually like him. But seriously what’s up with you guys? You usually move quicker than this. By the third week of knowing a guy, you usually already have him wrapped around your finger, and I know exactly how he moans when you suck his dick. What’s the hold up?”

Neymar sighed, finally sitting down on the couch beside Dani. “Leo can’t… I don’t… He’s not like other guys I’ve dated, right? The guys I usually go for are so self-assured and… manly? I mean think of my past loves. They’re all kinda like Geri here actually.” At this remark, Geri sat up in his seat with a big smile on his face, wriggling his eyebrows at Neymar. “Big, dumb, jock guys who are way too confident with themselves.” 

Geri’s expression turned sour at Neymar’s words as Jordi laughed. Quickly, Geri produced his wand from his robes and used it to fling the tissue box on the table at Neymar who dodged it. 

“Okay Geri, I was just kidding, but you get what I mean, they were polar opposites of Leo. So I realize I need to approach him differently, and by doing that I know I need to take it slow, like really slow. I think that’s the only way I won’t scare him off.”

Dani stared at Neymar considering, “I like it,” he decided. “I’m proud that you’re actually gonna go the extra mile for him. He’s a great guy and I really think you’ll be good together.”

Neymar smiled as Adriano groaned in the background. “Thanks, Dani.”

“Okay now that were done with the girly talk, did you get the Polyjuice Potion from Guardiola’s closet like I asked?” 

“Yes, I did,” Neymar said, quickly jumping up to get his bag. He brought it back over to the couch and started rummaging through it. “God, I really need to clean this out. Ah, here we go,” Neymar said pulling out a little bottle. He handed it to Dani and turned back to put his bag down. Just as he was closing it, a shiny box caught his eye. He pulled it out to see what it was. 

“Oh my god, I totally forgot about this.”

“What is it?” Jordi asked.

“They’re a box of chocolates for you, Dani,” Neymar answered. 

Dani look at him with a puzzled look, “Why would you have a box of chocolates meant for me? Who are they from?” 

Neymar looked up at Dani with a confused look on his face. He vaguely remembered getting the box with Rafa on their first day from some Slytherin student, but he couldn’t remember the name. “Um, I don’t remember. He was in Slytherin though. Oh! And he had like massive black curls.”

“Marcelo?” Geri asked.

“Yeah, that’s it! He told me to give them to you, to make up for something he did last year, but I totally flaked on it. I’m so sorry, Dani, but here ya go.”

Dani stared at him. “Marcelo you say?” Neymar nodded. “A token to make up for last year?” Another nod made Dani turn to the others. “I don’t remember getting in a fight with Marcelo last year.”

“You didn’t get in a fight with him per se, but he did receive the brunt end of our prank last year, remember?” Adriano questioned.

“Hmm,” Dani took the box from Neymar and looked at it closely. “Do you think that’s what this is? A prank?” 

“I can figure that out easily for you, let me see it,” Jordi said, stretching his hand over. When Dani didn’t give it to him immediately, he started to explain, “I’m not gonna eat it or anything, just gonna smell it.” The hesitation continued making Jordi sigh, “In my, uh, second year, I was involved in a Potion room explosion. It, um, enhanced my ability to smell, so now I’m able to smell things that would usually get past normal human sensing. Pretty much, if the chocolate has something in it that’s not supposed to be there, I’ll smell it.”

Dani gave him an impressed look and handed it over. Jordi opened the box tentatively, revealing an assortment of chocolate, each piece more tempting than the last. The smell was intoxicating, filling the room with the most pleasant aroma. Neymar found himself learning forward towards it, until Jordi shut it in a shout of disgust. 

“Ugh, yep there’s definitely something wrong with it.” Jordi made a gagging sound as he quickly threw the box into the open fire. Geri jumped up in his seat with a shout of protest, but he quickly sat down with eyes wide as the fire hissed and turned a dreary green color. “See,” Jordi said. “I told you it was bad.”

Neymar was amazed at Jordi’s ability to sense the chocolate’s obvious mutation. “Ok, I’m not gonna lie, but that had to be the best thing I’ve ever smelled. How the hell did you sense something wrong with it?” Neymar asked disbelieving. 

Adriano added, “Yeah, I never heard about an explosion in Potions last year.” 

“Me either,” Dani agreed. Everyone turned to Jordi with questioning expressions. Jordi fidgeted in his seat, looking everywhere else but at them. 

After a minute or so of silence, Jordi finally sighed, dropping his face into his hands. He mumbled quietly into them until Dani asked him to speak up. He abruptly flicked his head up and repeated himself, “I’m an animagus, okay?” 

“That’s awesome!” Neymar exclaimed with a smile. Personally, he had always wanted to be one himself, but he never had the patience to do it. “What are you?” He asked curiously. 

Jordi’s cheek flared as he shyly answered, “A chipmunk.”

The room was silent as the others processed his words. Geri was the first one to burst out laughing, the rest of them following soon after. Exclamations of “I totally see it!” and “What a dork!” paused their giggles. Jordi’s buried his face into his hands for the duration of it all, trying to hide his shame. 

Dani eventually calmed them all down, “Guys, guys, please let us not embarrass the boy any longer. It’s not his fault that that his personality resembles that of a small rodent, funny as it may be.”

“Thanks, Dani,” Jordi said in response. 

“But do tell us,” Dani spoke with a smirk, “Do you sing like those American ones do?” 

Laughter overcame them all again. Jordi put his face back into his hands groaning. The others continued to throw jokes around at Jordi’s expense, but Neymar did not participate. Instead, he sat up quickly, and called for their silence.

“Guys,” he spoke, grabbing their attention immediately with his serious tone. “I think I have an idea for our first prank.”

 

 

Neymar quickly rushed into the library, nearly knocking over a second year. After a swift apology, he continued into the room. He scanned it quickly for a pale boy with fluffy brown hair, but he couldn’t spot him. Venturing farther into the library, he finally found Leo in the back near a section labeled ‘Restricted.’

Leo sat at a table in the corner with his back towards Neymar. He fidgeted every so often, opening and closing his book and turning to look around. He finally spotted Neymar with a slight jump, but he quickly recovered with a smile. He awkwardly stood to greet him with a wave, but he didn’t move from his spot like Neymar thought he would. Taking the initiative once again, Neymar strode forward to embrace Leo, kicking the chair between them out of his way. 

The chair clattered to ground beside them, making Leo flinch in Neymar’s arms, but Neymar just held tighter, ignoring the loud noise. He fingers subconsciously squeezed Leo’s shirt at the back while Leo’s fingers moved to his hair, gripping it lightly. 

They greeted each other after a beat with normal hellos, still holding each other tightly like they haven’t seen each other in a year rather than a day. They stayed glued together as Neymar apologized, “I’m sorry I’m late. I got, uh, tied up in something with my team. It took longer than I thought it would. I hope you didn’t have to wait long.”

“Nah,” Leo answered, “I like just got here, its fine.”

“No he didn’t.”

Neymar and Leo jumped apart instantly at the sound of another voice. Leo turned back to the table while Neymar looked over his shoulder to see Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, sitting there. Out of the corner of his eye, Neymar saw Leo’s cheek heat up in embarrassment.

“He didn’t what?” Neymar dared to ask. 

“He didn’t just get here,” Nearly Headless Nick answered. “He’s been here for about hour reviewing this Charms book. I came to sit in front of him about 20 minutes ago, and he hasn’t noticed me until now. I swear I’ve never seen a boy try to fix his hair as much as he did, just to have it look the same when he was done.”

Neymar smirked over Leo’s shoulder, giggling quietly. He saw Leo’s embarrassment turn to slight anger as he shot back at the ghost, “Thank you for sharing that information, Nick. Now, how about you leave. You can actually go do something useful, like fix Lady Grieve’s teeth again.” 

Nearly Headless Nick stared back horrified at the angry Leo in front of him. “That was low, Mr. Cuccittini. I will be leaving now only because I can’t stand to be around such negative tones. I get enough of that from the other ghosts.” Nick floated up, looking back down at Neymar, “Have a good day, Mr. Santos. And please try to fix your friend’s attitude.” 

Neymar smirked again, laughing, “I’ll do my best, Sir.” With that said, Nearly Headless Nick floated through the roof, leaving them alone. 

Neymar, still behind Leo, spoke into Leo’s ear with a playful tone, “So you’ve been here for an hour now? Well then I really am sorry for being late.” Leo shook his staring at the floor. Neymar leaned forward and kissed the side of his neck to show his gratitude for Leo’s eagerness. He then walked around the table to the other side and sat down. He looked back up at Leo to see him frozen in his place. “Well c’mon then. You spent so long reviewing the material, you might as well use your knowledge to help me with my homework.”

Leo blushed again, shaking his head. With a flick of his wand, his chair flipped over to right itself, the book in front of Neymar turned to the page of their most recent lesson, and Neymar’s tie flung up to smack him in the face. 

It was Leo’s turn to smirk as Neymar let out an indignant “Hey!” In retaliation, and for his own desire, Neymar used his wand to pull Leo and his chair close beside him, jarring Leo off balance. 

Leo just rolled his eyes as he set about helping Neymar with his Charms homework.

 

 

“I still think it should be pronounced ‘Port-Us’ not ‘Port-OOs,’” Neymar complained for a fifth time that hour. They had just finished the homework a moment before, but he was still disputing the spell’s pronunciation. 

“Well if it kills you that much,” Leo said, “You can continue to say it like that, but I wouldn’t expect any results from it.” He finished packing up all of his stuff and turned to Neymar with an amused look. 

Neymar groaned, “Whatever, I’ll pronounce it properly tomorrow just for you, but I still think some of the pronunciation of spells is wacky.”

“And that’s fine, but you still have to say them the right way,” Leo concluded. He smiled over at him as a silence fell between them. 

Neymar discreetly checked the clock on the wall, realizing he had to get going if he wanted to see chaos outside unfold. 

“Well, um, I best be going. I’ll see at dinner later I guess. You can sit with us again if you want,” Neymar said, gathering his stuff up. He turned back to Leo with a smile. He leaned forward, aiming for Leo’s lips just like last night. He was excited to see Leo’s frozen expression again, like all the other times he had teased him with his friendly kisses. At last second, his lips pressed to Leo’s nose. He quickly retreated to catch Leo’s expression, but the one he saw wasn’t like the others. Instead, Leo’s face shown a stronger annoyance than ever before. The force of it caused Neymar to stumble backwards, nearly hitting the bookcase behind him. 

Instead of staying frozen in place like all the times before, Leo stood up briskly and strode over towards Neymar. The quickness of his steps and his expression of aggravation made Neymar worried that Leo was actually going to hit him. 

Leo backed him against the bookcase without saying a word. Neymar closed his eyes, waiting for the impact, but he felt Leo’s hands grip his wrists instead, slamming them beside his head. Neymar opened his eyes to the action, his breath coming out in pants now. The action was violent but also so damn arousing. His eyes were wide, with a look of lust and fear at Leo’s conduct. Leo’s own eyes weren’t even looking at Neymar’s, instead they were half-lidded and focused on his lips. Neymar could only imagined how they looked. They were probably open to let out his shaky breaths and glistening because he licked them so often. 

And although he knew he could beg for Leo’s kiss with his voice like he wanted to, he seemed to have lost his ability to make any noise other than a whimper. So, in compensation for his muteness, he stuck his bottom lip out, silently pleading.

And that’s all it took for Leo to slam their lips together, quite roughly. The intensity of it showed true passion. Leo introduced his tongue immediately, pushing past Neymar’s lips to attack his mouth. His teeth came out to nibble whatever it came in contact with, while his lips completely enclosed around Neymar’s. Subconsciously, Leo pushed Neymar harder into the bookcase to the point that he was barely standing on his own, which was a good thing actually, because Neymar was sure his knees would give out if Leo moved away. 

Taking advantage of Leo’s hold on him, Neymar wrapped a leg around him, trying impossibly to pull him closer. He tried to also put forth his own desire in the kiss, but Leo was completely dominant there, not allowing him to do anything extra. 

And that’s all the kiss was filled with, Leo’s desire. It didn’t leave any room for doubt with Neymar. It was quite apparent now how much Leo wanted him and that shook him to the core. He slumped down with the weight of it all. Now, Leo was most definitely holding him up completely, his arms wrapped tight around his waist. Whimpers left Neymar’s mouth as he pulled his lips away so they could catch a breath. 

Only a breath though, for Leo’s lips were instantly back onto his without a second thought. The kiss had changed now, though. It was much slower, and softer than before. It was like Leo was apologizing for wanting Neymar so desperately. This kiss left Neymar more breathless than the first. The lost feeling in his legs permeated throughout his body. The only part that seemed to work at all know was his lips that pressed back against Leo’s. 

Neymar had had hundreds of kisses before, with tens of other people. There had been good ones, there had been bad ones, and, whether from lust or comfort, there had been ones he had needed at the time. But none had left him boneless quite like this. 

This kiss was like no other he had known. This kiss made him feel like he had endured a long, passionate fuck, and yet Leo hadn’t touched below the belt. It left him content like an orgasm would, blessed and jubilant at its caress. He couldn’t believe a kiss could leave him this sated, let alone quivering. He felt overstimulated by the sheer passion of it, his nerves sent into a frenzy trying to alert him of its touch, but his brain had no words for its fervency. His body screamed for more, while his heart exclaimed that it was all too much. He couldn’t decide if he wanted it to end or if he wanted to become part of the explosion. 

He had his mouth fucked before, but he never had someone make love to it like Leo was. He felt wrecked in the most delicious way, almost completely delirious to the rest of the world. His state of euphoria shocked him, because he never knew a kiss could be this brilliant.

To Neymar it felt like nothing could break them apart, but obviously his dramatic observation eluded Leo, for he stole his lips back away from him with one last peck. Leo’s hold on Neymar slackened tremendously, leaving him to fall down, pulling Leo with him. Leo landed on top, mischief in his eyes as he marveled at Neymar’s lack of strength. 

Neymar shut his eyes, trying to calm down. He opened them with a start when Leo laughed out loud. Frantically, Neymar’s eyes traveled around the room as he tried to make sense of his surroundings, but they always landed on Leo’s smile, making him have to restart the whole process because of their distraction. It was quite frustrating, so he gave up and stared back up at Leo. 

Leo smirked, “God, I can’t believe it. I actually left you speechless. I thought it was impossible.” 

Neymar just glared up at him. He still didn’t trust his voice to speak, he knew it would crack and he didn’t want to give Leo any more of a reason to smirk at him, so instead he pulled Leo down to kiss him again. It was apparently that he was already addicted, for he craved the feeling of his lip’s touch so desperately. Leo seemed to go willingly, too, until centimeters before their lips touched, he moved down to kiss along Neymar’s jaw instead. 

A frustrated Neymar protested, “No, Leo.” Like expected, his voice came out high pitched and needy. He seethed at Leo’s smirk against jaw. If he had any control over his limps, he most definitely would have slapped him by now. 

“Now you know how I’ve felt with all of your stupid teasing kisses. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this,” Leo whispered against the underside of his jaw. 

“Trust me, I can imagine pretty easily,” Neymar said back, trying to nudge Leo with his head. Leo finally relented, pulling back up to be level with Neymar’s lips. He pecked them softly, pushing his tongue out to lick across the bottom one quickly before he pulled away completely. 

He stood over Neymar now, grinning like a child who finally got his toy. He reached down with both hands to help pull Neymar up. He jerked him to his feet in one fluid motion, but while the pull up was graceful, Neymar crashing into afterwards was not. He legs were still shaky, and he didn’t trust them yet to hold all of his weight, so he leaned heavily into Leo.

Leo started giggling as he wrapped his arms around Neymar’s waist to hold him up. Leo’s laugh prompted Neymar to start laughing too as he enclosed his arms around Leo’s neck. 

They stood there, two boys alone, folded in each other’s embrace at the back of the library seemingly laughing at nothing, carefree in the way they disregarded their surroundings to just be together. 

And then, sometime during their laughing episode, Jordi set about finishing Gryffindor’s prank on the Slytherins, like Neymar had instructed him to hours before. So when a frightened shout erupted somewhere else in the castle, Neymar didn’t even flinch, but instead laughed harder into Leo’s neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I liked writing it. If you're upset about not finding out what the prank was in this chapter, then just hold your horses, it's coming in the next one, I promise. And also, if it's not too much trouble (and you do in fact have in opinion on it), please tell me whether or not you would want the next chapter to feature Leo's POV of the kiss. I'm skeptical because I feel like it will be much of the same and probably take up too much room in the story. So subsequently, comments are greatly appreciated!


	8. A Magical Prank

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update is a fun date! I want to say thank you to everyone for commenting their ideas on the last chapter. You'll see quickly that I left Leo's POV of the kiss out because I agree it would be repetitive. Anyways, I hope you like what I did put in and thanks for reading!

Leo’s mind raced to process what the hell was going on in the Entrance Hall, but alas it could not. Slytherin students of all grades and maturity were running amuck, some holding their ears and others screaming. He saw Sergio Ramos, a Slytherin Quidditch player, amongst the crowd trying to hop from the dungeons. He was hopping because his body was completely bound by a red rope that tightened with his every movement. Leo was shocked he had made it that far from the common rooms since it seemed his circulation had been cut off a while ago. 

The noise, though, that was what really caught Leo’s attention, or rather harrowed 90% of it. To some, the sound could be called music. It did have instruments playing the melody in the background, but the singing was too atrocious to be considered serious. The harmony of three… people? on what seemed to be helium were singing about a hula hoop or some sort. The sound was so appalling though, Leo itched to cover his ears, too. 

He didn’t have much time to, though, because Neymar was pulling on his robe now, trying to hurry him away.

Sergio, who had just spotted them, screamed “Oi! You’re gonna get it, Santos!” He took another hop forward towards them, but he abruptly lost his balance and face planted into the ground. Marcelo, who had just come up the steps from the dungeons, helped Sergio to his feet quickly, flicking his wand to undo the ties. When he glanced up to see what Sergio was yelling after, his eyes locked on Neymar and Leo. They flashed angrily and without saying a word he took off towards them, Sergio following close behind. 

Neymar took off like a shot, pulling Leo along with him. Together, they tore through the halls, listening closely for Marcelo’s and Sergio’s footsteps behind them. They dodged other students and teachers on their way, ignoring their angry shouts. Once they reached empty hallways, the Slytherins started shooting spells at them. Now Neymar had to zigzag them to avoid the casts while Leo sent back defense ones of his own. Then, when Neymar tried to pull them down a hallway that Leo knew would lead them to a dead end, he dragged Neymar down another instead and up a few flights of stairs, taking the lead. 

They heard Marcelo and Sergio getting closer as they burst through the seventh floor. Quickly, Leo guided them down the left corridor, and took two rights to run down the hall parallel to it. He repeated the right turns to run down the left corridor again. He did this a total of three times, slowly gaining more room between them and their chasers each time, who were puzzled at his actions.

By the third time they completed the circle, Neymar’s own confusion took over and he whined, “Why the hell are you going in circles? I’m getting dizzy!”

Leo used the last of his strength to chuckle as he ran to the door that now appeared on the wall. He hastily threw it opened and pushed Neymar inside. Following him in, Leo turned around to quickly lock the door with the key that was hanging in the door knob. Seconds after he locked it, Marcelo and Sergio reached it with a bang. They vigorously shook the knob while simultaneously hitting the door.

“Come out, you coward! Face us like a man instead of hiding behind your boyfriends shoulder like a queer!” Sergio yelled. “Alohomora! Why the fuck isn’t it working?”

“Oh, you’re gonna get it, bicha! You have no idea what it coming for you, now! You just signed your death sentence!” Marcelo roared at Neymar through the door. “C’mon Sergio, we’ll get him later. He can’t hide in there forever.” With one last bang to the door, they left in a huff. 

Leo finally let out the breath he was holding and sat down against the wall. He let his eyes travel around the room to see where they were via his imagination. It was a small, quaint space with only a table and a couch in the corner. It was illuminated by lanterns, of all different shapes and colors, hanging from the rafters. Its simple beauty set him at ease, probably like he had hoped for when he thought it up as they were running. 

But with Neymar around, the calm only lasted so long. Once he had caught his own breath, he burst out laughing. He was completely uncontrollable in his movements as he floundered around the room, holding onto to different things to keep himself upright. But he was also absolutely breathtaking to Leo. His mouth was wide open and eyes turned to slits, showcasing a genuinely happy boy. The noises he let out were almost as horrifying as the ones from downstairs, but Leo couldn’t find himself to be annoyed by them. 

Not that he wasn’t annoyed at him in general of course. He did almost get his head blasted off by two Slytherins, and now he deserved to understand why. He kicked his foot at Neymar’s, trying to gain his attention. Neymar just held a finger up to him and fell to the ground, still laughing away.

“Get up, you bonehead, and explain to me what the hell all that was about!” Leo exclaimed, pushing at Neymar roughly.

Slowly and finally, Neymar sat up against the wall across from Leo with a big smile on his face. “Well,” he gloated, “I just fulfilled the greatest prank Hogwarts has ever seen!”

“Oh God,” Leo said, rubbing at his face. “What did you do?”

Neymar’s smile grew as he ranted excitedly, “It was really simple really! See, last night we found out Jordi is an animagus! He revealed it to us by foiling one of Marcelo’s pranks using his acute sense of smell, which he gets from being a chipmunk. I know, lame right, but very useful for getting through small places. And that’s what our problem has been, finding a way into their common room undetected. We were gonna use Polyjuice potion, but we still didn’t know yet what for.

“That of course was until I came up with the best idea ever! Now, I don’t know how much you know about Muggle things, I do only because my mom’s sister is a Muggle, but a long time ago they made this dreadful cartoon about singing chipmunks. Rafa and I used to watch it at my aunt’s house because my idiot cousin loved it. So long story short, after Jordi explained what he was, I remembered how torturous the group’s music had been and I knew I wanted to implement it into our prank. And then Dani came up with the rope idea and Geri supplied the eggs.”

“Eggs?” Leo hesitantly asked.

“Yeah, miniature golden eggs from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They let out a horrible screeched when you open them, but we bewitched them to play the chipmunks’ song. This morning we strapped it all, the tiny ropes and the eggs, to Jordi, and then he broke into the Slytherin common room to place the items in the players’ rooms. He set the eggs down wherever they would find them, and then he attached the rope to their robes. Once someone opened their egg, the rope would unroll onto the person making them not only unable to close it, but also unable to leave. The rope would then tighten at their every movement. Marcelo and Sergio must have been near the stairs when it happened and that’s why they got away,” Neymar seemed to be sadden at this realization, but he soon perked up as looked back at Leo. “Brilliant isn’t it? We’re most definitely in the lead now.”

Leo looked at him incredulously, trying his best to understand the story he had just been told, “You’re in the lead for what?”

“The prank war between the Quidditch teams,” Neymar answered simply. 

Leo groaned, dropping his hands into his face, “Oh my god, you just announced your death wish for a stupid tradition like a prank war?”

“Oh come off it, you sound like Marcelo now,” Neymar replied, rolling his eyes.

Leo jerked up quickly, “And why shouldn’t I if it’s true? Neymar, you don’t understand who you’re messing with. They can make your life a living hell, do you understand? I would know from experience how brutal they can be.” He shook his head at the boy and turned away, slumping his shoulders.

“What experiences?”

Leo glanced back at a much more serious boy. Neymar looked at him curiously, but also tentatively like he was worried he wouldn’t answer. Leo just shook his head again and stood up. Their conversation was about Neymar’s stupidity, not about his demons. Neymar had no right to ask for answers for things he wasn’t ready to know. They hadn’t even known each other that long, and here Neymar was requesting such personal information from him that no one, not even his best friend, knew. It was obvious Neymar didn’t understand boundaries, and that would become a problem if Leo wanted to keep up so many walls between them.

He wanted to be with Neymar, but he didn’t want to reveal himself fully, he didn’t want to scare the poor boy away. Neymar deserved to stay young and free. He shouldn’t have to worry himself with Leo’s problems.

The library was a different story, though. Leo had let himself be young and free, just as much as Neymar was, losing himself in the moment with his lust for the boy taking over. But that was part of his plan for his infatuation with him. He would live each moment to the fullest with Neymar while also keeping himself hidden away. He wouldn’t let the relationship move past the fun part and into the serious aspects. Never would they get to the point of totally honesty and trust, because Leo didn’t know how to have those kinds of relationships. 

Eventually, Leo sighed and answered Neymar’s question, “They’re not important. Just understand that they can be brutal, and they’re from the freaking House of the cunning and witty so expect them to prank you back in a big way,” Leo leaned back against the table and turned around to face Neymar again, who had also stood up. “Look, I just don’t want to see you hurt. YOU don’t deserve that.”

Neymar looked at him with a sad expression. He slowly walked over to stand right in front of Leo, putting his hands on either side of him on the table, and pressed their foreheads together. “Leo,” he spoke softly, “You don’t deserve it either. I’m not sure what exactly they’ve been doing to you but I have an idea. And Mats does too. We’re both worried about you, because we can see that whatever they’re doing is upsetting you. And I don’t like to see you sad. And,” Neymar said, sighing as he stepped even closer to Leo, “I know that you’re not ready to tell me, but I want you to know I’m always here, and I’m in this, whatever this is, for the long run. I really do like you, and I want you to be able to trust me. So if that means I have to eat lemon drops to appease you, I will.”

They both chuckled lightly into each other’s mouths as Neymar leaned down to kiss him. The words were sweet, but Leo still wasn’t convinced of their solidarity. It was one thing to promise something without knowing all the details, but it was another thing entirely when all horrors were revealed and you found yourself lost in a vow that seems unbreakable by the end.

But for now, Leo would continue his plan to enjoy everything while it lasted. Neymar was amazing and extraordinary in a way no one ever was to Leo before, so being able to have him, if only for a little while longer, was enough for Leo to bare the pain when it was over. 

 

The cold air bit at his skin as Leo walked back from the Quidditch pitch. His team had just had their last practice before the game against Slytherin on Saturday, and Leo was feeling a bit uneasy about it. 

Nothing had become of Neymar’s prank yet. So far the only backlash from it was the delay of the Hogsmeade trip, which angered quite a few students, including Rafa, who at the moment wasn’t speaking to Neymar.

His uneasiness about the game had grown from the Slytherins lack of response to the prank. His fears included the chance that the Slytherin’s take out their frustrations on him because he’s Neymar’s boyfriend, or the fear that the threats from their letters would actually became a reality. 

And yes, it was boyfriend now. Two weeks ago, the day after their make out in the library, Neymar had practically gone around shouting their relationship to everyone. Leo had hung back though, allowing their friends to crowd around Neymar as he told them the grand tale of how his heroic boyfriend had saved him from a herd of Slytherins by blasting them away with only one spell. Of course the story was tremendously exaggerated, but Leo didn’t care to correct him. He liked feeling special as Neymar gloated on and on about him. 

Mats had walked back with him to the common room afterwards. The whole while he had talked about how proud he was of Leo for finally going after Neymar. Before they went to bed, he had folded Leo into a big hug, rubbing at his back insistently as he had said to him, “See, I told you that you could be happy. You just needed the right person to come along.” Leo had sworn he saw a tear glisten in Mats’ eye as he fell into his bed. 

The next two weeks after that had been more or less like that weekend had been. Him and Neymar would go to class and eat meals together like usual. In between they would find different places to “study” as Neymar air quoted. Sometimes Leo would actually make them do work and then other times he would give into Neymar and they would make out passionately wherever they were. 

And he knew by the completely subtly hints Neymar was leaving that he wanted to do something more than just kiss. Whether he rubbed directly against Leo’s clothed cock or say things like, “I want to suck your cock so bad” or “I can’t wait until you fuck me” Leo knew the boy wanted more. And since his worst fear was to become a bore to Neymar, he knew that he would have to put out sooner or later. And it wasn’t like he didn’t want to, it was because of another fear, stemming from his worst fear, was holding him back. The fear was that Neymar only wanted him for sex, and that once he had his fill he would leave him. So Leo had decided he would drag it out as long as he could until his own hormones finally took over to see if his assumption was correct.

Over the past two weeks, the temperature outside had dropped significantly, and Leo couldn’t help now but be irritated at Neymar for stealing his Hufflepuff scarf. He said he needed it for his game on Saturday to complete his outfit or something, but Leo knew he just wanted it so he could show off to everyone else. And it wasn’t like Leo was complaining or anything, he liked making Neymar happy, but in a time like this it would have been useful.

Just as Leo was about to enter the school, desperately seeking its warmth, Marc Bartra and Andre Iniesta came running towards him, yelling his name.

“Hey guys, what’s wrong?” Leo asked them curiously as they reached him.

After he caught his breath, Andre explained, “They have Neymar.”

Leo momentarily stilled as he tried to make sense of his words. “Who has him where?” He asked hurriedly, mind racing with many different answers.

“Cristiano and his gang,” Marc answered. “Neymar was waiting for you in the Entrance Hall when we walked in. We were just down the hall after passing him when we heard him scream. We saw them taking him so we thought it’d be best to follow them. They have him down by the Whomping Willow now.”

Leo looked at them incredulously. “And you left him there?” he exclaimed, eyes flashing and fist clenching.

“Leo, we were horribly outnumbered, and there was nothing we could do, so we came looking for help,” Andre explained calmly, putting a hand on Leo’s shoulder to try and comfort him. Immediately, Leo’s fist unclenched. He closed his eyes and tried to tame his breathing as he thought of what to do. 

After a beat, he opened his eyes to them saying, “Well, technically I’m a prefect so maybe I could just threaten them with detention, but if that doesn’t work we do need more people, so Marc go find Mats, he should be in Professor Enrique’s classroom with Thomas.” Marc ran off immediately, nearly tripping over himself as he pushed the doors open to the castle. Leo then turned back to Andre and said, “C’mon, then.”

Quick as they could, the two ran down the path towards the Whomping Willow. As they neared the tree, Andre pulled Leo behind a bush right at the edge of the clearing. In front of the tree stood Cristiano Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos, Iker Casillas, and Gareth Bale. It took Leo a moment to locate Neymar for he was suspended high in the air upside down above the Whomping Willow. He seemed to be hanging down ironically by Leo’s Hufflepuff scarf that was crudely tied tight around his ankle. His robe, which hung limply from his arms, fell off him as he was jerked in the air. At the sense of movement above it, the tree violently thrashed upwards, ripping the robe to shreds immediately. The Slytherins laughed coarsely as Neymar shrieked. 

“Awe, the baby’s scared,” Cristiano observed, making the rest of the group laugh again. He then nodded his head at Iker, who was casting the spell on Neymar, and said “Let’s give him something to really scream about.” Alarmingly, Neymar dropped down another foot dangerously closer to the tree. 

“Puta,” Neymar yelled down this time, flailing his arms up, trying to move farther away from the tree. After losing the strength to stay up, he let himself hang down again, turning his face towards the Slytherins. “Filhos de puta, put me down! This isn’t even a prank, you’re just tormenting me!”

“Isn’t that what your prank was too? Just you tormenting us?” Sergio asked. “Ya know, it took us three hours to find all of those stupid eggs. Three hours listening to that damn, annoying song on repeat. God, I just wanted to kill you that day. And I would’ve if your boyfriend hadn’t gotten in the way. You faggots ran away like the two cowards that you are, so I didn’t get the proper chance. Where is he now, though?” 

Gareth was the one to answer, “He’s probably waiting for him by the lake to have a picnic or some gay shit. I wonder what he’ll do when we bring him back in pieces.” 

The group snickered as Neymar’s face went red. In a poor retaliation, Neymar called them, “Babacas!” and attempted to spit at them. The spit only served to cause the tree to react again. One of the branches swung dangerously close to Neymar’s head, causing Leo to jump from behind the bush. With his wand raised at Iker, he walked into the clearing saying, “Put him down.”

“Leo!” Cristiano exclaimed excitedly once he saw him. “What a lovely surprise, I was actually hoping you would show up.”

“Yeah,” Gareth agreed, “We really wanted you to see your boyfriend get torn apart.”

Leo rolled his eyes, “You guys aren’t going to do that, so just put him down. You made your point, now leave.” 

“No, I don’t think we’re done having fun just yet, but thanks for the suggestion,” Iker replied, jerking Neymar like a rag doll, smirking as the boy yelped.

“Guys, I’m a prefect, all I have to do is go tell Professor Guardiola,” Leo stated, looking up at Neymar and gulping as his hand brushed the next swing of the tree. 

Cristiano smirked at him, chuckling softly, “No you won’t. We’ve been threatening you for two years with this shit, and you’ve never once did anything. Hell, you don’t even tell your friends about it. Excuse me when I say that I don’t think you have the balls to do anything. Because deep down you know those threats could easily become a reality. And now I think we might just make Neymar our dummy.” 

The terror of their threats becoming a reality for Neymar and the pressing issue of time for the situation drove Leo into action. His wand, which had lowered as Cristiano spoke, was raised quickly again straight at the group. Cristiano’s laughter was cut short as Leo used a chocking spell on him, lifting him into the air. The rest of the groups’ laughter died away too, but then it turned into cheers. 

“Look boys! We finally made the little queer angry!” Sergio cheered. He then raised his wand at Leo, but Andre quickly expelled it away. Gareth worked quicker than him though, and he used a spell to send Andre flying backwards. 

Cristiano was still smirking at Leo. He waved his hand at Gareth and struggled to say, “C’mon boy. Let’s, ugh, let them go. We’re, ah, done here.” And then, without a thought in his mind, Iker dropped his hand and began to walk away with Gareth back up the path to the castle. 

Even if Leo hadn’t already been occupied with spell, he still wouldn’t have been fast enough to stop Neymar from falling into the tree. Luckily for them, Marc had finally come through with support. Mats, who had seen Neymar from farther up the path, had cast his own spell to support Iker’s levitation. They burst through into the clearing just as Iker had lowered his wand, so Mats was able to keep Neymar from falling. 

Leo dropped his spell from Cristiano, and he and Sergio quickly sprinted up the path after the other two Slytherins. Marc and Thomas passed them as they ran over to where Andre had been sent flying. Leo turned back to Mats where he was now slowly bringing Neymar to the ground in front of him. 

Neymar whimpered as he was set back onto the ground. He rolled over and clutched his head as Mats set about untying Leo’s scarf. The skin below it was left white and indented from its tight hold. Leo walked over to kneel in front of Neymar’s face, but he found him passed out from lack of blood throughout his body. 

“Marc he passed out,” Leo breathed out as his heart rate sped up. “Quick, we have to get him to the Hospital Wing!”

“Look Leo,” Mats said, looking at him with a serious face. “We can’t take him there unless you plan on explaining why he would pass out in the first place, and as much as I want to tell the Headmaster about this, I know it will do only harm, not good. So, we’re gonna take him back to our common room and treat him there ourselves. But first I need you to calm down, okay. He’s gonna be fine, he just needs the blood to get pumping through his body again.”

And that was Mats, always calm no matter the situation. He was the only one holding Leo together as they gathered Neymar and Andre up. He was the one to carry Neymar back to their room and set him on Leo’s bed. He was the one to get Ali’s help in getting the blood pumping through his body again. He was the one who sat Leo down and explained once again that Neymar was going to be fine, and that he would wake up any moment now. He was then the one to explain to Neymar what had happened once he woke up. 

And all that was well and fine until he was also the one to leave Leo and Neymar alone in the room together. Because Leo had always been in love with silence, and sometimes he even craved it in Neymar’s presence, but now it spoke volumes, and Leo didn’t want Neymar to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, I love drama.   
> As you can see, Cristiano and his gang don't mess around. The first Quidditch match next chapter should be filled with their rage. You'll have to wait and see whether Leo can handle their heat.


	9. Inches and Miles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neymar feels guilty for what Leo had to go through to save him, but Neymar also hopes to finally get Leo to open up in the wake of the incident. As the first Quidditch match of the year looms over them, everyone has their own way of handling the preparation for it with some ways only serving to confuse others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said last chapter that this chapter would finally have a Quidditch match in it, but alas it would not fit. This chapter is already exceedingly long so I moved it to the next one.   
> The good news is that I have that one completely written, and all I have to do is proof read it, so you can expect it soon.   
> More news is that both this and the next chapter will be in Neymar's POV.  
> Not much action happens in this chapter, but there is a lot of interaction between characters.   
> I hope you like it, and thanks for reading!

Neymar’s head was pounding as Mats explained to him all that had happened while he was passed out. He could tell that Mats was shady on a few of the details himself, but Leo’s hunched form in the corner didn’t seem like it wanted to fill in the holes anytime soon.

Mats concluded his explanation with saying, “So, Ali said you just need some rest. You have about two hours until dinner, and I think it’d be best if you go down for it. We don’t want them to think you’re shaken or anything from this incident, right?” 

“Of course not,” Neymar answered. Mats gave him a wink and turned from the bed to leave the room.

“Marky,” Neymar uttered before Mats left the room, prompting him to turn back. 

“Hmm?”

“Thanks for everything.”

Mats smiled at him, “My pleasure. But how about next time you warn me before you pull a prank like that. That way I can schedule times with Rafa to switch off being your body guard.”

Neymar scoffed, “I don’t think he’s forgiven me yet for getting the Hogsmeade trip delayed, so it would’ve been counterproductive for you. He probably would’ve let the Slytherins drop me in that tree. Hell, he might have been the one to cast me in.” 

The two of them laughed with Mats agreeing. “Yeah, probably. I’ll have to talk to him about that, see if I can get him to forgive you.” 

“Oh, he’s a pretty stubborn person. I think you’d have a better chance at convincing Geri that he can’t beat a centaur in a fight, but be my guest. He’ll get over it eventually anyway, but ya know, if you really want to speed up the process,” Neymar whispered, motioning for Mats to come closer. Once he did, Neymar turned his head left and right dramatically and finished, “He becomes really pliant after sex.”

Mats stepped away from Neymar like he had been stung. Neymar laughed at the blush that fell over Mats’ cheek and spread to his hairline, and then he clutched his head whimpering as his head began to pound again at the sudden action. He swore in the corner of his eye that he saw Leo flinch, but when he glanced over, it was clear that it had been a trick of the light.

Mats continued to back up to the door, seemingly ready to run through it, but then he stopped to turn towards Neymar with a serious face. “And how would you know that he’s pliant after sex?”

Neymar couldn’t help but laugh at Mats’ insinuation. “Please Mats, I would never. No, see me and Rafa’s old boyfriends were always in cahoots. If I ever wanted anything, they always knew the right moment to ask for me.” Neymar then winked shamelessly at Mats, making him blush again. “So, I hope that one day we will be that good of friends, because then I can help you out with this one over here, too.”

Neymar nodded his head over at Leo, but Leo didn’t react. He sat there on one of the beds still staring at the ceiling, seemingly ignoring them. The sight was so sad it took away one of Neymar’s heart beats. 

Thankfully, Mats had seemed to notice the tension, so he silently voiced his goodbye, “I’ll be going then. Um, take care of him, will you? They were pretty rough on him.” With Neymar’s nod, Mats left the room.

The silence that followed annoyed Neymar to no end. He hated for it to be quiet and still like it was. It made him itch in the worst way, filling him with too much apprehension to let himself enjoy the moment. It was in those moments that he wanted to scream and cause the most amount of ruckus that he could. But Leo was there, and Leo appreciated the silence way too much to be healthy, so Neymar refrained.

“Hey,” he said dumbly instead. Leo finally glanced at him, only briefly though, before turning back to the ceiling.

“Hey,” Neymar started again, grasping at anything to get Leo to focus on him, “do you think Geri could beat a centaur in a fight?”

Leo stared at him now confused. “What?”

Neymar continued, playing with the frayed edges of his shirt as he did, “Geri told me at Quidditch practice that he could easily beat a centaur in a fight. Now, I don’t think it’s possible, but he’s pretty adamant about his skills.”

“I- He- What?” Leo asked again, completely flabbergasted. “No, I’m pretty sure he would die actually,” he finally answered scoffing. “Why would you ask me such a thing?”

“Because I wanted to get an emotion out of you. You were sitting over there like a stone or something, and I was worried your face would freeze with that frown on it.”

Leo shook his head at Neymar, and then for good measure, he rolled his eyes and sighed. Neymar wasn’t perturbed though. The next thing he did was throw the covers off of himself and move to step out of the bed. 

At the sign of movement, Leo quickly shot up from the bed and walked over protesting, “No, you have to stay in bed and rest.” He gently pushed Neymar back onto the bed and moved to pull the covers up. Neymar hurriedly grabbed them and pushed them away from Leo’s reach. “Neymar stop.” Neymar continued to push the covers away while also scooting to the other side of the bed. “Neymar stop! Why are you being so difficult?”

“Get in,” was all he answered.

“What?”

“Get in the bed with me. I want to cuddle.”

“No!” Leo replied instantly. “You’re not supposed to be moving, and I wouldn’t even fit.”

Neymar rolled his eyes, “I know. Although you’re shorter than me, you do have such wide shoulders, but that just makes you perfect to be the big spoon. So,” Neymar drawled out, pulling on Leo’s hand now. “You can lay back on the bed like I have been, and then I’ll lay on top of you between your legs.” Leo continued to be hesitant, but he let Neymar pull him onto the bed all the same. 

“Plus,” Neymar continued as Leo got into position. “I always thought your chest looked like a good pillow.” Leo snorted as Neymar laid on top of him, his head snuggling right against his sternum. Even with him laid between Leo’s legs, begging for his comfort, Neymar still had to be the one to pull Leo’s arms around him.

They laid there for a while in the silence. Neymar allowed it to be so because at least now he was in Leo’s arms. He didn’t let it last forever, he still had some things to tell Leo, but he let it last long enough for Leo to become comfortable, even though he never quite lost the tension in his body.

“So, um,” Neymar began hesitantly, “I just want to say I’m sorry that I got you into that. You didn’t deserve to have to go through that to save me, and for that I’m truly sorry. I, uh, also want to say my most sincere thank you for saving me. See, I do this thing where I don’t think before I do stuff, and I realize now that bragging about the prank wasn’t the best idea. I really think I just fueled the fire, but I also know that if I had just refrained, they wouldn’t have reacted that way. And, uh, I just want you to know again that I’m here for you if you ever want to talk about anything.” Neymar turned his face up to look at Leo’s. “You did a great job at helping me, I want to be able to help you too.”

Leo stared down at him with his piercing brown eyes, almost black now with their intensity. He ultimately looked away from Neymar as he said, “Don’t apologize for their cruel words, that’s on them not you, and they would have said those things anyhow. Yes, I do believe that you do a little too much action and not enough thinking, but that’s something I like about you, so I’d be a hypocrite if I judged you for that.” Leo glanced back down at Neymar’s sincere face, sighing as he continued, “And I appreciate you being here for me, but I don’t think I’m ready to share everything.”

“Then don’t tell me everything,” Neymar replied hastily. “You don’t have to go into every gory detail, but let me at least know enough so that I may help you.” Leo began to shake his head, readying himself to rebuke Neymar’s demands, but Neymar didn’t let him. “Don’t say no, Leo, because I’m here for you, I want to help you. Why is that so hard for you to believe? Have I-,” Neymar gulped turning away from Leo to look at their laced fingers. “Have I done something to make you not trust me? I know I can seem childish sometimes, but I can be serious too. I can-”

“No Neymar,” Leo interrupted. “It’s not something you did, it’s just how I am. I’m not good at trusting people, or opening up to them. I have so many reasons for not wanting to tell you things, and I can promise you, with the fullness of my heart, that you are not one of them.”

“But if your hearts involved, you must tell me the reasons. Because I want to… I want to be in your heart, and the only way I know how to get into someone’s heart is by first getting to know them completely. And that’s what I want. I want to understand every part of you to the point where I know you better than I know myself. You’re such an amazing person, and I thank God every day that I can call you mine. But I can’t call you mine any longer unless you let me in.” Leo flinched, tightening his hold on Neymar as if to make him stay. “Please Leo, I just want to understand. What do I have to do to make you trust me?”

Under Neymar’s ear, Leo’s heart began to speed up. Neymar turned to look up at him, only to find a scared boy whose breath didn’t want to follow a pattern. He seemed lost in the way he looked about the room at such a speed Neymar knew he wasn’t really seeing anything. The boy above him made Neymar’s heart break, turning his joyful spirit to a mournful one, and it made him wonder what could have happened to make this boy so broken. 

“Neymar,” Leo breathed out, closing his eyes. “You don’t want to know me. To really know me like that. I am undeserving of your heart and your trust. Underneath the surface there are only hideous demons that you shouldn’t have to worry yourself with. You’re so beautiful, so pure, and I don’t want to taint you with my faults. It would destroy me to know that I haunted you with any of my troubles. You shouldn’t want to call me yours. Cristiano’s right.”

“Oh my god, Leo!” Neymar exclaimed. Unable to lay passively any longer, he sat up to face Leo head on, causing his head to swirl. “What made you this way? So unconfident and listening to the words of Ronaldo! He is nothing compared to you. He shouldn’t be allowed to make you feel this way, he isn’t worthy! You are so beautiful from the inside and out. Your demons do not become you, they are just memories or flaws that are taken advantage of by your own mind making them seem worse than they are. Please, tell them to me, so that I may release their burden from you. I can- I can make you feel better about yourself, Leo, if only you’d let me. You can’t see this amazing boy that I see, but I could make you. I could show you just how truly remarkable you are. That’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“No, it’s not Neymar,” Leo denied, turning away again and wiping at his face.

Neymar replied quietly, “Yes, it is. I’m your boyfriend. It’s in the fucking job description.”

To Neymar’s surprise, Leo laughed, shaking his head at the comment. He turned to look back at Neymar hesitantly, fearing something Neymar couldn’t understand. 

“You gotta start letting me in Leo. I want to know you, I want to help carry your burdens, just like you already carry mine. I told you, I’m in this for the long run. And to be completely honest, I’m in it now more than ever. You are just so beautiful to me, and all you’ve done for years is let the negative words hurt you, but you didn’t let the positive ones strengthen you. I can teach you how to do that. All you have to do is let me.” 

“Just give you an inch and you’ll go a mile, right?” Leo asked with a slight smile on his face.

Neymar smiled back widely, falling back into Leo’s chest and snuggling impossibly closer. “More like, give me a taste and I’ll disregard the sour parts.” 

 

Sadly for Neymar, that hadn’t been the night Leo finally opened up to him. He was clearly still apprehensive about the subject, and Neymar didn’t want to push. Instead, feeling way to selfish to demand all this personal information from Leo and not give his own, Neymar told Leo all about himself, like his quirks, bad habits, and his favorite things.

Right before they left for dinner, they started talking about their favorite Quidditch teams. Unsurprisingly, they had the same one. And just like Mats had said, Leo was more than willingly to talk about professional Quidditch. He was completely comfortable with that topic, until Neymar mentioned the Slytherin game on Saturday, and then he clammed up faster than Neymar could say Seeker.

When Neymar brought it up, Leo left the room to check on Andre. Ali came in to check on him next, and then Leo came back to suggest they go down to dinner. 

While they ate with their friends, they pretended nothing had happened upstairs. Neymar was doing it only for Leo’s sake, knowing that Mats was on high alert about him. But he couldn’t help but be shocked how easily Leo could fake it when he wanted to. He was seemingly unhindered all through dinner, making jokes like it was any other day. 

Leo did avoid Neymar’s eyes through most of it though. Their direct contact was limited to passing the food for each other and answering questions about the incident. Neymar let his hand fall on his leg at one point to reassure him, but it only served to make Leo tense up. 

Saying goodnight to each other was even more awkward. Neymar went for a quick kiss while Leo went for a simple hug, causing a strange collision of lips to hair and arms restraining shoulders. Neymar meant to say something to him, anything would’ve done, but only a halfhearted good night left his lips.

Other than in class, Neymar didn’t see Leo much the next day. Leo cancelled their daily study date and didn’t show up to any of the meals. Neymar tried to convince himself that it only had to do with his game against the Slytherins tomorrow, but that didn’t bring him much relief, because, if it was just about the game, then that meant Leo was taking their threats seriously. It meant that Leo was sincerely worried about what the other team might do to him in the game, just like Neymar was. 

He tried to voice his concerns to Mats, but he shot them down. 

“The Slytherins wouldn’t jeopardize the game just to prove a point. And plus Leo’s use to that stuff, he’s always a targeted player. Over the years, he’s thought of some strategies to avoid rough hits, and I promise tomorrow you will be awed by his ability. You have nothing to worry about, Ney. He’s an adult, and on the Quidditch pitch he knows how to take care of himself. And if you’re worried about his absence now, don’t be. He always does this the day before a match,” Mats explained to him at dinner. 

Neymar sighed, “Fine, I’ll stop worrying about it, but that doesn’t mean I like it. Will I see him before the game tomorrow, though?”

“Mmm,” Mats hummed with a quizzical expression. “I don’t think so, at least I wouldn’t bank on it. Sorry.”

Neymar sighed again. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small box shaped like a top hat that he had bewitched with David’s help during History of Magic. The box upon being open would produce a lemon drop. Neymar thought that Leo needed something to cheer him up, and because the candy was something he was positive Leo liked, he decided to incorporate it. “Ok first off, tell him not to eat all of them before the match. Second off, the password is ‘Limonada.’ And third off, they’re not endless. There’s only like twenty or so left because your boyfriend over there decided he was hungry during Transfiguration today.” Neymar gave Rafa a pointed look as the latter shoved yet another meatball into his mouth. He turned back to Mats to find him smiling dumbly at his boyfriend. “Hey,” Neymar said snapping his fingers, breaking a blushing Mats from his trance. “Fourth off, just tell him good luck from me, and, uh, that I’ll be watching from the stands.”

Mats gave him a sympathetic look. “I will, of course. Please don’t despair about his mood though, it’s just how he is, it has nothing to do with you.”

Neymar nodded in understanding and handed over the box. 

 

“You look ridiculous,” Adriano commented when Neymar made his entrance into the common room the next morning.

Neymar gave him an offended look and asked, “Hey, I’m just supporting my boyfriend, is that so wrong?” He was donned in all black and yellow. He wore jogger pants, with each leg one of the two colors. His shoes were vibrant yellow sneakers and his shirt a plain, black long sleeve that was practically a second skin on him. His beanie matched Leo’s scarf with Hufflepuff’s striped colors and his glasses were white framed. 

“Oh, stop being a sour-puss, Adriano, he looks festive! I totally approve,” Dani responded, slinging his arm around Neymar, who was sticking his tongue out at Adriano. “But I would lose those glasses. They don’t match.”

“Fine, they can go.” Neymar groaned, throwing them onto the nearest table.

Geri, who had finally looked up from the Daily Prophet, took one look at him and burst out laughing. “Please tell me you didn’t have those pants already in your wardrobe?”

“It’s not that hard to turn cloth a different color, Geri,” Neymar answered. “Oh wait, I forgot, you can’t even perform a simple levitation charm.”

Geri shot back immediately, “Why would I need to when I can just Iker to do one for me?”

The rest of the group started laughing as Neymar rolled his eyes, glaring at them. He picked up his black hoodie and left them to their laughing fit as he made his way down to the Great Hall. 

On his way down, he ran into Marc, whose outfit made Neymar feel much better about himself because of its extremity compared to his own. Marc looked like a tall, gangly bumblebee with his yellow pants, black shirt, and Hufflepuff color striped jacket. Where Neymar’s most outrageous piece was probably his pants, Marc’s was his yellow polka dotted socks that lit up with every step.

“Nice socks, Marc. Where’s the rave at later?”

Marc rolled his eyes, “Ha, ha, ha, very funny. Actually, when we win, the dancing will be at the Hufflepuff common room, so yeah.”

Neymar laughed at Marc’s poor attempt at a comeback. “Is that a promise? Because I really do hope to see that.”

Marc just laughed, “Not in a million years!”

“Really? Because I heard that Geri likes dancers…”

Marc gave him a puzzled look, clearing his throat, “And, uh, why would I care about that?”

“Oh I don’t know,” Neymar said, walking backwards in front of Marc. “I just may have heard through the grape vine that you have the biggest crush on Geri ever.”

Marc stopped in his tracks, eyes wide, exclaiming, “No I don’t! Who told you?”

“Oh, my time in the Hufflepuff common room was spent well by learning all the dirty secrets about its inhabitants. See, Leo left the room at one point to check on Andre, and Ali came barging in to see how I was doing. We got to talking and I would say it took her 2.5 seconds to tell me of your ginormous infatuation with him.”

Neymar laughed as Marc groaned into his hands, “Ugh, you can’t tell anyone else!”

“I won’t, I won’t. You just have to promise me that if Hufflepuff wins, you’ll get on a table and dance your little heart out.”

“Oh fine, whatever I’ll do it.”

Neymar laughed again as he continued to walk backwards, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Two steps later he was falling into the arms of someone behind him.

“Oops, sorry,” Neymar said, turning his head to see who was holding him up. Leo stared down at him with a pointed look.

“You really should watch where you’re going, babe. You might run into the wrong person,” Leo whispered with a smile.

Neymar leaned back heavily into him, tilting his head and replying, “Why would I do that when I have the chance of my knight in shining armor catching me?”

“Eww, you guys are worse than Mats and Rafa,” Marc announced, still standing in front of them. Neymar laughed as he watched Leo’s face turn annoyed at the sight of him. 

“Mats and Rafa had a conversation the other about which one of them had better eyes, and they decided that neither of theirs were better than the other. I can assure you, they’re worse. Now how about you run along so I can talk to my boyfriend alone.” Neymar smirked at Leo’s commanding tone, heart fluttering at the word boyfriend.

Marc quickly jumped into motion at the words, “Yes of course, yeah I’ll go. Um, good luck today.” Neymar and Leo watched him as he practically ran into the Great Hall away from them.

Once Marc was gone, Leo lifted Neymar up to a standing position and led him a bit farther from the hall. Neymar gleamed at the feel of Leo’s arm around his waist, which he kept there even once they stopped walking.

“Um,” Leo said turning to face him. “I really did want to talk to you, but first I have to address the outfit.”

“Not you too!” Neymar groaned. “I just want to support you, is that so wrong? I mean the pants are a little much, but I worked hard to get only one side to turn yellow! And it’s not my fault your House has such contrasting colors!”

Leo blushed, shaking his head at Neymar. “That’s, uh, not why I’m mentioning them...”

“Ok, then what is it?”

“Tight,” Leo stuttered out, taking a step closer and placing his hands on the front of Neymar’s ribs, causing the latter to suck in a breath. “Your shirt’s literally painted on your skin! How am I supposed to concentrate when you’re wearing this?”

Neymar smirked deeply, spreading his lips into a toothy smile as he thought over Leo’s words. He started giggling once he realized the extremity of the effect he had on Leo, because with every rise and fall of his chest, Leo’s eyes grew more lustful. Neymar took a step closer, brushing his lips against Leo’s ear and whispering, “Well I’m sorry, babe. But I promise if you win, I’ll let you peel it off of me.”

Leo groaned, pulling him closer and rubbing his hands down his back. “Ney,” he drawled out, “You can’t say shit like that to me right now. Honestly, I meant to talk to you about… something, but this shirt is way too distracting and I forgot.”

Neymar sighed, not wanting to ruin the moment but reasoning with himself that he had to address the issue. He took a step back and guessed, “Does it have anything to do with you not talking to me yesterday?”

Leo tensed in front of him. “I talked to you…”

“Yeah, in class maybe, where the conversation varied from ‘Go get the dittany’ or ‘Hand me a quill please.’ It wasn’t much communication.”

Leo sighed, looking down, “I know, I shouldn’t have been like that, but that’s just how I am before games. I seclude myself from everyone and everything as much as I can to try and focus. And this game is really stressing me out, because I’m terrified they’re gonna try something.” Leo stared at the wall sternly as he continued, “But I should’ve given you a warning, because I’m your boyfriend. At least that’s what Mats was yelling at me for last night.” Quickly, Leo’s head shot up, “Not that I wouldn’t have talked to you otherwise, I would’ve, I swear. It’s just usually I don’t worry about other people’s feelings, and last night yours were all that I could think about, which is weird for me. And I knew I wouldn’t feel comfortable with myself until I made this right with you so.”

“Hey, it’s ok,” Neymar rushed to reassure him. “I’m not mad. Mats explained at dinner and I can’t say I personally understand it, but I get it. Really Leo, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“No, it’s not fine, I should’ve told you,” Leo responded back, staring fixedly at a spot on the wall again, eyebrows scrunched. 

“You’re telling me now, and that’s enough,” Neymar whispered, placing his hand on Leo’s cheek to turn his face towards his. “I know this is all new for you, it’s new for me too. Look, I don’t care how long it takes for me to learn everything about you, I know it’s not going to happen all at once. I will wait however long it takes, because I want to know you, I want to understand.”

Leo smiled at him, placing his hands on either side of Neymar’s ribs and rubbing slowly. “Well lucky for you, you’ll get to learn a lot about me today. Quidditch is what I live and die for, so hopefully I’ll get to show you just how good I can be. And, if I don’t, I know just what shirt to blame.”

Neymar smirked, “I told you, think of it as an incentive. The sooner you catch the snitch, the sooner you’ll see this shirt on the floor, or at the end of your bed, or on the pitch because you really are that insatiable.” They both broke out in laughter, leaning against each other, lips moving against lips. “Just do your best and I’ll be happy. Don’t worry about how I feel though, just worry about staying safe and kicking Slytherins asses.”

“I will,” Leo confirmed with a big smile on his face, leaning forward to kiss Neymar’s grin. “Thanks for this, I think I just needed you to calm me down before I went out there. I’m happy I was able to find you in time.”

“And I’m happy to be of service,” Neymar replied, pretending to tip his hat. “Now go out there and prove all these rumors to be true. I’ve heard you’re pretty good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, not much action, but some needed character development. Next chapter will immediately begin with the Quidditch match, I promise! So be excited like Marc, or worried like Leo, for that outcome.


	10. Kissing Broken Bones

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The game begins like most Neymar has seen in his life, but the difference is Slytherin is gunning for something other than a win. Leo avoids their hits to the best of his ability, but Neymar can't help but be surprised at the end result.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated pretty quickly as promised. A reminder that this is still in Neymar's POV, and you get to witness the first Quidditch match of the season! Thanks for reading!

And good he was. Fantastic actually. The match had only been going on for three minutes and already Neymar knew Leo was something special. The brown hair boy whipped around the pitch, frantically searching for the snitch at such a speed that Neymar lost him every so often. He weaved between players like they were just air and he was a bird. Or an apparently like a flea, which is what Dani explained was his nickname as Adriano scoffed at its stupidity. 

Somewhere across the field, Mats was making amazing save after amazing save, if Rafa’s screams weren’t enough of an announcement, but Neymar’s eyes never strayed from Leo’s blurred form. 

Simultaneously, the voice of Thiago Silva echoed all around the field, “Morgan Brian flies towards the Slytherin goal post, Quaffle in hand. Raphael Varane tries to intercept her, but she tosses the Quaffle off to Christen Press. Press fakes left, looks right and SCORES! 10 points to Hufflepuff!

“With Hufflepuff leading 50-40, my prediction appears to be correct. The teams could go back and forth scoring like this all day, but the winner today will be settled by the team with the best Seeker. Of course, we know both teams have terrific Seekers, but for the past 5 years it seems that Lionel Messi has come out on top. 

“Today we can see him flying beside Cristiano Ronaldo, the equally amazing Seeker from Slytherin, who’s looking for his first win against Hufflepuff ever. Of course, you can see his frustration in the way he jerks around on the Firebolt Supreme while Messi zooms past him easily on the Firebolt Superior. Newest model of Firebolt’s out there, ya know. Greatest broom for speed while also keeping balance as a top priority-”

“Mr. Silva,” Professor Mourinho warned, “You’re not a salesman here. Comment on the game only.”

“You’re right, sorry Professor José. Back to the action, it seems that the two Seekers have spotted the snitch finally. Their hunt takes them close to the stands and… Whoa! Right above us here at the teachers stand. Tell me, has anyone else seen the ass on Leo? He’s such a tiny little thing with a big ass. The Brazilian transfer must have his hands full, if you know what I mean, Prof-”

“Mr. Silva! If you refuse to talk about the game any longer, I will be forced suspend you from your commentating privileges, again! Keep your inappropriate thoughts to yourself and speak only about the scoring!”

“You’re right Professor José, how unprofessional of me. Speaking of scoring, Press has made yet another shot past Iker. Ya know though, if you want to talk about asses, she has one of the plumpest-”

“Mr. Silva!”

“Ok,” Neymar finally said, glancing briefly at Dani to get his attention before turning back to Leo and Cristiano, who seemed to have lost the snitch. “Who the fuck is commentating, and why is he talking about me and my boyfriend like that?”

It was David who answered, “Oh, that’s Thiago Silva. He’s, uh, my best friend.”

“Ok,” Neymar said again, “Why is your best friend making those comments about my boyfriend?” 

“Oh, I promise he means no harm, that’s just how he spices up the game. See, he got the commentating job in his fourth year after he didn’t make the Ravenclaw Quidditch team for the third year in a row. The old Ravenclaw Head of House, Dunga, wouldn’t let him be on the team even though he’s clearly the best beater at school.” Neymar turned to Geri expecting him to protest, but instead he was nodding his head in agreement. “Anyways, he had to give up, because Dunga pretty much straight out told him that he would never be on the team. No rhyme or reason really, just because he didn’t like him. So in compensation, Thiago became the school commentator, because his love for Quidditch was that strong.”

“But you say old Head of House, isn’t he gone? Why didn’t Thiago join after he left?” Rafa asked curiously.

“He became too invested in his job,” David explained, half laughing. “He’s really good at it, total crowd pleaser. So like, he mentioned Ney and Leo because they’re the hottest topic at school right now. What he does is make soft jabs at players to keep the game entertaining. The teachers hate it, but I assume that adds to his popularity. But,” he drawled out, turning to face Neymar. “I can totally tell him not to talk about you guys anymore, I’m more than positive that he would apologize to you for it. He’s really a nice guy, I promise.”

“No, no, he’s fine, I guess it adds some flare to the game. I just wanted to know if I needed to kick his ass or not,” Neymar responded, drawing his attention back to the game.

Geri laughed, “You kick someone’s ass? Like that could ever happen!”

Neymar ignored him in favor of watching Leo dive down near the ground. His eyes were trained on the air in front him, but not on the situation above him. Neymar watched worriedly as Sergio and Raphael closed in nodding at each other as the Bludger came closer to Sergio, and Raphael dropped lower. All too late for Neymar to scream, he realized their plan. 

The Bludger was smashed by Sergio to head straight towards Raphael. He in turn cracked it down towards Leo, traveling at such as an alarming speed that Neymar finally did shout. 

Neymar then watched in awe as Leo, right before the Bludger hit him, jerked sideways, causing the Bludger to slam into the ground, instead of his back, with a loud thud. The crowd cheered as Leo made his ascension into the main playing field action. He intercepted the Quaffle on his way between passes from Marcelo to Gareth, and, after side sweeping their other chaser Marta, he passed the ball onto Morgan, who was flying in front of one of the post. The Quaffle flew in to make it 90-110, Hufflepuff with the lead.

The lead almost came crashing down though, as Cristiano spotted the snitch again at the other side of the pitch. Realizing that Cristiano was on the hunt, Leo shot across the field to reach him. Following behind him were both the Beaters, carrying their clubs high, and Gareth, who abandoned his Chaser duties in favor of chasing the Hufflepuff Seeker.

Leo and the rest of his stalkers reached Cristiano and snitch in the center of the pitch. Neymar feared a harsh collision, but instead, just as they all got there, the snitch shot upwards with Leo still hot on its tail. The change in direction was so quick and sudden that only someone with superior talent could have made it. This was proven true when all four Slytherins didn’t immediately make the turn. In the end it was lucky that Cristiano was a skilled flyer at all, because he was able to move sideways to stop the collision and then continue his hunt into the sky, following behind Leo. The other three were slower, but they trailed after the Seekers all the same. 

The snitch took them all around the pitch, weaving through the stands, the post, and the other players. Cristiano caught up to Leo at one point and was doing his best to buck the Hufflepuff off his broom. Neymar thought that the physical aspect of the game would surely be Leo’s weakness. The boy was so small in comparison to Cristiano and the other Slytherins, he figured that Leo would fall off his broom with one push. Of course Neymar wasn’t much bigger than him, but he was usually too fast for his opponents to touch. 

Leo, though fast too, appeared to be just as strong. With every push, he would shove right back, unmoving from his position. Neymar was amazed at Leo’s strength, and he cheered loudly to prove it. The irritation on Cristiano’s face was clear as the hunt continued. 

Curiously during their pursuit, Neymar watched Gareth drop away from them. Figuring he was going back to help the other Chasers, Neymar forgot about him, intent to watch Cristiano and Leo’s shoves at each other became more violent. 

Minutes later though, Gareth came back, this time flying perpendicular to them. He zoomed in front of them, causing them both to fall back momentarily. This gave Sergio and Raphael time to finally catch up to Leo. They now flew on either side of him, raising their forgotten clubs once again. 

“One of the Bludgers went flying into the ground 10 minutes ago, and the other is being passed between Thomas and Ali at the other end of the pitch. What do those two plan on hitting?” Rafa asked, breaking the tense silence around the group.

Dani gasped, “I think Leo.”

And sure enough, Sergio’s club which was raised above Leo came slamming down into his side. Neymar lifted his hand to cover his mouth as the crowd broke out in whistles. Leo, clearly shocked by the hit, jolted sideways into Raphael, who slammed his own club into Leo’s arm. His shout of pain echoed throughout the stadium while his arm hung down limply. 

Instincts must have took over Leo, for he shot forward quickly trying to escape his attackers. The Slytherin Beaters fell back, clearly satisfied with whatever damaged they had caused. Leo now flew just an inch behind the front of Cristiano’s broom. He kept his distance on the side, probably to discourage Cristiano from trying to buck into him. 

But Cristiano wasn’t persuaded. Instead, he went swerving sideways, aiming to land the final hit on the poor Hufflepuff Seeker. The movement was so quick and so sudden that anyone else would’ve been smashed into viciously, surely spurring them from their broom. But, like Neymar had thought at the beginning of the match, Leo wasn’t anyone, he was special. So when Cristiano moved to make the final blow, Leo dropped down quicker than him, and then jerked back upwards to steal Cristiano’s old spot right behind the snitch. Cristiano’s move took him flying sideways out of Leo’s reach. He fell back significantly, allowing Leo reach out with his bad arm to catch the snitch.

“I can’t believe it- I mean I can believe it, he’s done it every match for the past six years but- Lionel Messi has caught the snitch! Hufflepuff wins! Just wow that’s the most amazing game of Quidditch I’ve ever seen. Even after getting illegally assaulted by those nasty Slytherin Beaters, Leo was able to catch the snitch before Cristiano could. How pathetic of him that even with Leo injured he couldn’t win. I think I speak for all the boys out there when I say I got a hard-on watching that last bit-”

“Thiago that’s detention!”

A scream was then heard across the pitch as someone fell from their broom. The crowd watched in horror as Thomas hurdled towards the ground to land hard into the sand. Upon further investigation, Neymar could see Sergio smiling with Raphael as they smacked clubs together. 

“Did you guys see that?” Geri asked, pointing at them accusingly. “Those two imbeciles just smack the Bludger into Thomas as he was celebrating the win, as in after the match was over! Those two better get kicked off of the Slytherin team or so help me I will-”

“Look, Professor Guardiola’s stunned them!” Jordi interrupted. Sure enough, the two Beaters were dangling in the air as Professor Guardiola flew over to them on his own broom. The rest of the players landed on the ground, including Leo who was holding his arm gingerly to himself as Madame Carniero looked at his side. 

“C’mon, Ney, we can meet him outside his locker room,” Rafa said, tugging at his arm.

“Yeah ok,” Neymar responded robotically, not taking his eyes off Leo until Rafa forcefully pulled him away.

The two of them walked down to Hufflepuff locker room. The journey was long as they tried to navigate through all the other students. By the time they reached it, the girls on the team were already leaving. 

Neymar ran over quickly, asking worriedly. “Hey Ali, what happened?”

She sighed as she answered, “Those cheap shots happened. Poor Thomas didn’t even know what hit him. He was taken to the Hospital Wing immediately via Headmaster Bartomeu’s apparition. He took a Bludger to the head and then Raphael sideswiped him to throw him off his broom.”

“Yeah that’s terrible really, but, uh, what about Leo?” Neymar asked desperately. 

Ali nodded in understanding at his desperation. “He’s fine don’t worry, just a broken rib and a fractured radius, nothing that isn’t being cured instantly in the locker room. He drank Skele-Gro, so he should be fine by now. You too can go in if you want.”

“Thanks Ali and good game girls,” Rafa answered as Neymar gave her confused look. He then turned and started walking towards the locker room. He bypassed Andre on his way in, murmuring a simple, “Congratulations.”

He walked in to find Leo sprawled out on the floor as Mats kneeled down to set a water beside him. Leo groaned as he lifted the bottle to his lips and sucked the water down quickly. Mats turned to look at Neymar as he stood up.

“Hey Neymar, quite a good game wasn’t it!” Mats greeted sarcastically, clearly disbelieving his own words. 

“Yeah, no, it was pretty brutal,” Neymar said, rushing to bend off Leo who was back to laying on his back. “Babe, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Mats answered. “He’s being a baby as always.”

“Hey!” Leo petulantly exclaimed back. “It just taste so bad! I’ve broken a surplus of bones in my lifetime and I still haven’t gotten use to the taste of it. It makes no sense!”

Neymar laughed at Leo’s childish tantrum. He laid back heavily beside Leo, letting out a huge breath after knowing Leo was okay. “God Leo, I thought they were going to kill you.”

“Oh, don’t be dramatic. All they wanted to do was avenge themselves for your prank, and they decided it would be best to go through me. But, like I said it would, it cost them the game.” Leo turned sideways, keeping his arm bent to his chest and reaching his other arm out to stroke Neymar’s face with his hand. “And now, I won. So instead of dwelling on all that’s happened, I feel like celebrating.”

“But what about Thomas?” Neymar asked cautiously. 

“Oh, he’ll be fine. They did all that fancy stuff to try and scare Sergio and Raphael into thinking he was really hurt. I’ve seen him come back from worst hits before. Besides, he would want us to celebrate. He never usually celebrates with us anyways, because he says he ‘Doesn’t know how’ or something like that,” Leo responded. 

Neymar smiled over at him, “Ok good, because you were amazing out there and you deserve to celebrate.”

“Didn’t I tell you your boyfriend was the best?” Mats asked as Rafa finally walked through the door. Without a word, the two stared at each other intensely, silently checking the each other out before Rafa ran into action. He flew across the floor quickly, jumping into Mats outstretched arms and wrapping his legs around his waist.

“God you were so amazing tonight,” Rafa said between kisses. “You looked so hot in your uniform, I couldn’t look away the whole time.” With his last statement, Rafa dove his face into Mats neck. Mats let out a groan as he slammed Rafa against the wall, prompting the smaller one to moan. 

“I think now would be a good time to leave,” Neymar whispered to Leo. Leo nodded his head back in agreement and stood up using Neymar’s help. “Which ones your bag babe?” Neymar asked.

“That one,” Leo pointed out as he slipped on his sneakers. Neymar grabbed it and slung it over his shoulder. “No I got it, Ney. My bones are fine now, I can surely carry it.”

“No,” Neymar answered, grasping his hand and leading him from the room now filled with moans. “You just played a very tough game, and I want to pamper you. Have you really not read the boyfriend job description yet?”

Leo smiled at him, “Obviously not. Tell me, does this description say anything about giving the other kisses for winning.”

“Oh,” Neymar said winking, “It says to do more than just kiss.”

Leo smiled up at him, abruptly pulling on his hand harder as he attempted to run them towards the castle faster. Neymar went with him, giggling profusely and losing his breath as they made their way up the path. 

“Leo, please slow down. God you literally just played, how do you still have this much energy?” Neymar questioned as they came to a stop in front of the doors.

Leo laughed at him, “Sorry, I got a little excited.”

“Yeah well, I’m not going to have any energy to do anything you’re excited about if we keep running like this.”

“Alright, alright, I’ll slow down,” Leo said, turning around to open the doors for them.

They were walking through the Entrance Hall when Neymar remembered what was bugging him, “Oh hey, I thought you just broke your bones, but Ali said you had to drink Skele-Gro? Why didn’t they just do ‘Brackium Emendo’?”

Leo looked down shyly and answered, “Oh um, funny story actually, when I was 11 I found out I had a growing defect. Ironically, the doctor my parents took me to was a wizard, and he used a mixture of Skele-Gro and the Muggle medicine to make my bones grow faster like they were supposed to. He really was one of the best potion makers ever to live. See he used his practice to test both Muggle medicine and wizard potions together to make the best antidotes for illnesses. He was extraordinary, and very helpful to me becoming a wizard. When I got my letter to go to Hogwarts a short time after, and he actually was the one to convince to my parents to let me go. 

“So then when I came home the next summer, I happened to break my hand while playing a game of catch with my friends,” Leo looked back at Neymar, rolling his eyes, “I was practicing to be a Seeker at the time and I may have forgotten that I didn’t have broom underneath me.” Neymar giggled as they started to walk down stairs to the Hufflepuff common room. “Anyways, my parents took me to the same doctor again. He tried using that spell to fix it, but it didn’t work. He ended up having to set me up in a cast like a normal Muggle because of its failure. He was baffled by it for days after. Finally, he came to the conclusion that the mixture of Skele-Gro and the growth hormone he gave me must have made my bones impervious to the spell. He resigned to give me the horrid potion by itself to see what would happen, and in a matter of seconds my hand was fine.”

“Wow,” Neymar responded. “That’s quite a story.”

“Well, you said you wanted to know me.”

“And here you are giving me your whole backstory as to why you’re so short,” Neymar said laughing as they reached the door to the common room. 

Leo fired back, “You’re just as short as me, and I have a reason to be this short, so what’s your excuse?”

Neymar shook his head at the laughing boy. He was annoyed by the joke, but he was also confused at the complete change of his mood. Yesterday, he had been distant. This morning, he had been shy and worried. And now… now he was happy beyond belief. He was joking and laughing like he had had the best day ever. And sure he had beat the Slytherins, but it had been brutal and they had practically tried to kill him, yet here Leo was undeterred. 

But Neymar was tired of worrying about it. If Leo was happy, then Neymar was going to make sure he stayed it for as long as he could. 

“I am not short, I’m average. I am the perfect size for everyone. At least my width corresponds with my length,” Neymar defended.

Leo countered, “Yeah, you’re like a stick, all frail limps and no muscle. At least I have muscle.”

“And according to Thiago Silva, a nice ass,” Neymar responded sullenly.

Leo blushed as he laughed, “Yeah, Mats told me he said something like that. Don’t worry about him, he’s harmless.”

“Yeah, he better be.”

Leo tried to control his laughter as he asked, “Why? What were you going to do to him with your skinny little stick arms?”

“Hey! My arms are fine! They’re in perfect portion to the rest of my body, and, like I said, my body is the perfect size for everyone, that’s what they all say!”

“Hmm,” Leo hummed in a much more serious tone. “Is that what they ALL say?”

Neymar stopped moving, his defiant expression quickly falling to a more nervous one. He meant it as a joke, but Leo’s exterior seemed to think it was more than that. Neymar quickly tried to take it back, saying, “Leo I… It’s not… that’s not what I meant! There weren’t that many-”

Leo pushed Neymar against the wall before he could finish his explanation. Neymar looked at him with wide eyes, trying to decipher his mood, trying to understand why Leo was taking this with such a violent approach. He looked into Leo’s eyes for a sign of any idea of what was to come, but it was his smirk that told the story since his eyes were pitch black with lust.

“Well, I think I’ll have to be the judge of that now, hmm?” Leo hummed again. He leaned forward and brought their lips together in another breath-taking kiss. Neymar whimpered at the intensity of it, immediately sticking his tongue out to lick along Leo’s lips. Leo let him pry them apart, dropping his hand down to palm at Neymar’s ass to make him open his mouth wider too.

“God,” Neymar gasped. He broke from the kiss to ask, “What’s gotten into you?”

Leo answered, “You have. You’re always on my mind. I’ve wanted to do something more for a while, and before I was… it doesn’t matter. I want you, I want this. If you’re willing, I mean. I don’t want to pressure you.”

“Of course you’re not pressuring me!” Neymar exclaimed, pulling him closer to kiss his nose adoringly. “I want this too, so, so, much. Let me convince you, let me show you how much I want you.”

Leo smiled up at him, pressing forward to bring their lips together. Neymar couldn’t understand how Leo didn’t know how much he yearned for him. Neymar wanted so desperately to reach this new level with him, and tonight he would be sure to prove it. 

Reluctantly, he pushed away from the wall and grabbed Leo’s hand to lead him inside the bustling common room, mind already thinking of the spells and excuses he knew to let them sneak away to their own world and explore each other’s desires. The hand in his was slightly shaky, and he planned to make it shake more, not from nervousness but from passion instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate to leave you hanging at such a steamy promise, but alas I must. Next chapter is sure to feature some partying and some smut, so stay tuned.


	11. Draw the Curtain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo had never handled attention well, but he's determined to show Neymar he knows how to handle him with the tenderness that he deserves, even if Leo doesn't understand why Neymar wants him in this place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight smut here/horny boys making out passionately. More insight into the gloomy mind of Leo and a few jokes to lighten the mood. Hope you all like it!

The common room looked like a sea of yellow and black by the time Leo and Neymar arrived. It looked like every single Hufflepuff student was congregated in the tiny living space to celebrate the win. A speaker was blaring dance music from the corner and Marc could clearly be seen dancing on top of one of the tables to the cheers of a bunch of fifth years. Upon the entrance of Leo though, everyone stopped what they were doing to congratulate him on catching the snitch. 

Shouts praising his ability surrounded him from all over. He kindly tried to thank everyone for their compliments, but some of them would move on by the time he was able to form the words. Neymar was the only one to stick by his side the entire time, silently rubbing his hand down his arm or back once in a while when Leo got particularly flustered. Leo knew that after a game he would always have to deal with other people praising him, but that didn’t mean he was used to it yet. Too many people would always make him feel apprehensive in a way he couldn’t begin to describe.

Neymar, though, was easily at ease with the gathering. He spoke to people like they had always been his friends, not a bunch of strangers who knew nothing more of him than that he was dating their House Seeker. Everyone around them could easily see how special Neymar was, and Leo didn’t know how he was supposed to feel about that. It was obvious that Neymar was someone that was to be shared with the world, but Leo didn’t know how much he was willing to give away. 

Just allowing him to animatedly talk to the other people was a pain to Leo. He wasn’t blind, he saw some of their wandering eyes, girls and guys alike. Whether Neymar noticed or not, Leo couldn’t say. He treated everyone with the same excitement, talking up a storm as they traveled the room. Leo probably would’ve been discouraged from following him around a long time ago if it hadn’t been for Neymar’s hands guiding him and his name tasting Neymar’s speech every sentence or so. 

But even when Neymar talked specifically about him for almost the entirety of the conversation, some prick still had the nerve to proposition him. 

“Anyways though, this one here is getting tired as I can see from his blank stare, so I think we should be heading off to bed now,” Neymar explained to Arda Turan, one of the other sixth years.

“‘We’ you say?” Arda asked

“Yes ‘we’. Don’t you think this star deserves something for his win?” Neymar asked, winking as he wrapped his arm around Leo’s waist. Leo rolled his eyes at him, shrugging the arm off and giving him a look. The look died away quickly at the sight of Neymar’s effervescent smile, crinkling the skin around his eyes. 

“Ya know,” Leo said, turning to look at Arda. “He’s right I am quite tired, so I think it’d be best if I do go to bed, and actually go to sleep.”

“Ouch,” Arda interjected, “Shot down.” Then turning to Neymar he declared, “Well Neymar, maybe the next person -I mean- time will present you with better luck. I’ll see you around, yeah?” With an exaggerated wink towards Neymar, he walked away, glancing back every so often.

Breaking the silence, Neymar stated in disbelief, “Wow that was…”

“Suggestive? Inappropriate? Rude?” Leo asked, glaring at Arda’s back and tightening his grip on Neymar’s hand.

“Yeah, I mean like that was so weird. I’m shocked, like unbelievably horrified that he would say something like that with you standing right there.”

“Why? What would you have said if I wasn’t here?” Leo asked with raised eyebrows.

Neymar turned to him with a knowing smile, wrapping both his arms around Leo’s waist and murmuring, “I would have told him to fuck off, and also to shave that stupid ass beard off of his smug little face before he even thinks he can breathe the same air as you, Leo, because never in a million years would he measure up to you.” Neymar kissed him at the end to put him at an even greater ease. 

“Mmm,” Leo hummed, breaking the kiss to press their foreheads together. “Good answer.”

“I could make an even better presentation if you would just follow me to your room,” Neymar added mischievously. 

Leo stepped back to look around the room. Most of his House were preoccupied now with their own forms of celebration. It looked like they were finally done annoying him with their praises and instead were content to celebrate on their own. Even Marc had finally stopped following him around and had returned to his dancing, this time doing some weird stomping action. All of his roommates were accounted for in the common room except for Mats, who still hadn’t shown up from the locker room, and Anto had long ago gone to bed after glaring at Neymar for most of the night. Virtually, now would be the perfect time for them to sneak off into his room. 

And Leo wanted to do that, to leave this irritating party for a much less agonizing experience with Neymar. But it seemed that all of Leo’s confidence had died down since his euphoria after the game. Now he was left with the many ‘what if’ questions that haunted his mind daily whenever he thought of taking things farther with Neymar. He knew the possibilities and he was petrified with the outcome that this would all be over once Neymar got what he wanted. Plus the episode with Arda was still there pricking at the back of his mind.

“Leo,” Neymar whispered after a moment. “I can see the wheels turning in your brain. Stop it. Don’t think too hard, I’m sure you’re freaking yourself out for no reason.”

Leo nodded like he understood, but really he just hated to be scrutinized like this and he thought the best way to avoid it would be to agree. Silently, he followed Neymar to his room, shutting the door behind them on the way. Once inside, Neymar plopped down on the bed nearest him.

“Um,” Leo hesitantly said, “That’s Mats’ bed.”

Neymar jumped up with a shout of, “Ew!” He quickly scampered back over into Leo’s arms as he explained, “Do you know the things those two have done on that bed? God never mind, I hope you don’t, you’re too innocent to know such things.”

Leo looked at him with a slightly annoyed expression. “I’m not that innocent.” Sure he wasn’t nearly as insatiable as Mats and Rafa were, but he did have needs. He was an 18 year old boy for god’s sake with one of the sexiest Brazilians he has ever seen as a boyfriend. His mind wondered, and his hands wandered, and most of the time nowadays Neymar invaded his mind in the most inappropriate of thoughts.

“Mhmm,” Neymar hummed, sounding unconvinced. He stepped up right against Leo and seemingly slouched down to be at level with his face. He looked deeply into Leo’s eyes, fluttering his eyelashes and biting his lip teasingly as he said, “Prove it.” 

And damn did his cocky attitude annoy Leo. And damn did Neymar standing so close, intoxicating him with his scent, annoy Leo too. And then there was Neymar’s shirt stretched tightly across his lean muscles, distracting Leo in worst possible way. The boy was good at the art of seduction, and Leo sure was enthralled, but he was also irritated at the boy’s insinuation. Grabbing Neymar’s hips roughly, he threw the smug boy down onto his bed to prove once and for all that he was more than the naïve little boy Neymar figured he was.

Quickly, he used his wand to draw the curtains around the bed, silently whispering spells that would keep their noises inaudible to the outside world. Then he put his wand down and turned back to the boy beneath him. Neymar’s smile was gorgeous even in the dimly lit space. He stared up at Leo excited, eyes shining with the prospect of what was to come. 

Leo felt like he had never been more aroused. Laying on top of the Neymar was sending all kinds of shock waves through his body. His eyes wandered all over the boy, memorizing each and every curve he could distinguish underneath his tight black shirt.

“God, I just want to rip your shirt off. It doesn’t leave anything to the imagination,” Leo groaned, rubbing his hands down it to smooth out its wrinkles.

“I actually quite like this shirt, so if you could please just gently take it off me, I think that would be better,” Neymar replied, eyes following Leo’s hands.

“Fine,” Leo responded, smiling up teasingly, “But I get to rip the pants apart right?”

Neymar giggled as he beamed up at Leo, “No! I can change them back to black tomorrow.”

Leo groaned again, “Fine, but they’re coming off first then.”

Quickly and without a second thought, Leo tore the pants down Neymar’s leg, revealing more beautiful brown, smooth skin and the tightest black boxer briefs he’s ever seen. Together, the boxer briefs and the long sleeve looked like a second skin on Neymar, showcasing every bump and curve of his body. He looked absolutely appetizing to Leo, who was having a hard time keeping his hands from rubbing all over him.

“God Ney, how are you even breathing in these?”

“I’m not actually, the tolerance comes with years of practice and the desire to look sexy. Really you should praising me for the torture I sustain to excite you,” Neymar commented as Leo continued his rubbing pattern that seemed to always make his hands stop short of Neymar’s boxers. “But,” Neymar continued, breath coming out in pants as he stared directly into Leo’s eyes, “If you could please remove my clothes, I think I would be much more suitable to pleasing you physically rather than aesthetically.”

Leo’s eyes flashed with excitement as prompted Neymar to sit up as to remove his shirt. “I’ve been wanting to take this stupid shirt off since this morning,” he announced as his fingers skimmed the bottom of it. 

“I promised you this morning you could peel it off, if I recall, so please, be my guest.”

Tantalizingly slow, Leo started to push this shirt. Neymar sat pliant, watching Leo intently as more of his skin was revealed. Inch by inch cold air caused Neymar’s ab muscles to tighten, stirring something like desire in Leo to lick them until they glistened. 

Once the shirt reach past Neymar’s chest, Leo let his fingers glide across his nipples, causing the former to jolt. Smiling deviously, Leo pinched and rubbed them until Neymar was whimpering softly, his own hands shooting out to grip Leo’s neck fiercely. Leo quickly stopped his maltreatment to grasp Neymar’s forearms. He unhook them from around his neck and raised them high above Neymar’s head. He then continued his slow removal of Neymar’s shirt, leisurely lifting it past his shoulder and above his head. Upon its withdrawal, Leo rolled it up and threw it behind Neymar’s head, never taking his eyes all from the newly exposed expansion of skin. His hands immediately shot forward to push Neymar to lay back on the bed, allowing him total free rain over the boy’s body.

Rubbing his hands down Neymar’s torso in seemingly nonexistent patterns, and his mouth almost watering at the sight below him, Leo observed, “You’re so damn smooth.” 

Neymar giggled up at him as his hands fell on top of Leo’s to stop their movement. “That’s just how I like myself to be, but my chest isn’t the only thing that’s smooth.” He winked at Leo and pushed his hands downwards towards his boxers. Leo quickly realizing his plan flipped his hands to grip Neymar’s wrist and force them backwards onto the bed. 

“Uh-uh,” Leo admonished, bending low to lay on top of Neymar completely, lips brushing Neymar’s as he continued, “You go too fast, cariño. This is our first time doing this type of thing and I think it should be slower than that.”

Neymar groaned, rolling his eyes, “We’ve been going slow for too long! I’m dying for you to touch me, and for me to touch you. Please Leo, I don’t think I can wait any longer.” With his last statement, Neymar thrust his hips forward, pushing his erection fully against Leo. He continued to grind relentlessly as Leo attempted to get his thoughts together.

Leo’s own erection was a testament to how much he wanted Neymar, but he didn’t want to rush this, he wanted to savor it. Neymar’s eagerness thrilled him, because it meant that, even though Leo thought there were so many things wrong with himself, Neymar for some reason still wanted him. 

Leo had always thought himself as a realist, and stemming from that philosophy he knew that he wasn’t exactly sexually appealing. Years of training for Quidditch had given him abs, but puberty had never given him height or a handsome face. It didn’t matter which way he looked at himself in the mirror, every angle displayed a large nose to match his large ears and a chin that showed double if he tried to smile. His eyes were brown, such a plain unoriginal color that did nothing to hide his pale complexion. 

He had grown his hair out to its floppy state to hide his ears, and he did his best to discourage a double chin by keeping his chin held high, but he had an obsessive habit of pulling stray strands of hair behind his ears, and there was only so much he could take before his chin dropped low in shyness. ‘There were too many flaws to hide anyway, why do I try at all?’ he questioned himself constantly. 

And looking down at Neymar now in just his tight boxer briefs, Leo was reminded again of how out of his league Neymar was. The boy was perfect from his head to his feet. His beautiful brown skin matched his eyes that weren’t even just brown, but also green with flecks of gold, like they were created without a definite decision of what color they should be. His body was in fact in perfect proportion like he had insisted before. Every muscle was lean and hard, all adding up to a very slim structure, but one that was so unbelievably sexy it pained Leo to take his eyes away. 

Neymar’s smile would always brighten the room, and the sight of him laughing would set it on fire. Or at least it warmed Leo’s heart, leaving no room inside for the coldness he usually felt. And while Leo moved quite awkwardly at times walking the halls, Neymar glided along gracefully with every single one of his limbs moving in the right direction. He was a prince where Leo was pauper, and never did Leo think he had a skim of a chance with him after that first day on the train.

But here they were, rubbing their bodies together nonetheless. Neymar was pleading to go faster, and yet Leo couldn’t find it in himself to wish it to be over anytime soon. Neymar could assure him a hundred times, but Leo stubbornly refused to trust him yet. ‘If all this ends and Neymar stills wants to be with me tomorrow, then,’ Leo thought, ‘I’ll go faster next time. But right now I will savor it, since this will probably be my only chance.’

“C’mon Ney, there’s no rush. Let’s just go slow,” Leo declared, kissing down Neymar’s neck to appease him. 

Neymar groaned again but he agreed, “Fine, but at least take off your clothes. I want to see what I’m working with.”

Leo laughed softly at his words but he followed them nonetheless. He quickly stripped off his shirt and pants to reveal plain blue boxers, nowhere near as sexy as Neymar’s. Not that the boy noticed, because he was too busy ogling Leo’s abs.

“Don’t they look delicious,” Neymar remarked before he used his legs that he had wrapped around Leo’s waist to flip them over. Now that he was on top, he took his time to kiss and suck Leo’s skin from his neck to his abs. Leo felt him dip his tongue between the ridges of his muscle while he rubbed his erection against Leo’s leg restlessly. Leo placed his hands on Neymar’s hair to calm him down, gently scratching and pulling his natural curls absentmindedly. 

After leaving angry red marks all along Leo’s torso, Neymar raised up to kiss Leo’s lips again. They made out insistently, rolling over every so often to push the other into the mattress and giggling whenever their limps would tangle. Each of them scattered hickeys all over the other’s bodies. Teasingly bite marks and red scratches adorned Leo’s body more than anything while Neymar’s hips showed signs of bruising in the form of Leo’s fingers. 

Having mapped out the rest of Neymar’s body, Leo reached his hand down to palm at Neymar’s ass when Neymar was on top at one point. To Leo’s great surprise, Neymar tensed significantly and willingly broke the kiss to pant against his mouth. Leaning back slightly with his eyes closed, Neymar let out a nervous breath and moved his hips to prompt Leo’s hand to fall away. Leo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and lifted his hand to caress Neymar’s cheek. At Leo’s touch, Neymar’s eyes snapped open.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Leo asked urgently, hands rubbing down his body to soothe the tense boy.

Neymar took a deep breath and answered, “I don’t want to, um, do that tonight, okay? Like can we just keep it to handjobs or something?”

Leo agreed immediately, shocked still at the boys request but honoring it all the same. “Yes of course, we don’t have to do that! Like I said before, we don’t have to do anything at all. This has already been more than enough, believe me.” 

“No it hasn’t,” Neymar countered. “I can feel your boner against my ass.” At the end of his observation, Neymar grinded down on Leo’s erection, causing him to moan openly and to lean back down to Leo’s lips.

A newfound urgency and assurance came upon Leo enough for him to have the courage to reach down and release Neymar’s throbbing erection. Neymar shifted to pull his boxer briefs off completely, throwing them down at the end of the bed. Leo’s boxer joined them a second after. 

Leo flipped them over one last time to press Neymar into the bed. Neymar went pliantly, shifting to allow Leo’s leg to sneak between his own. Leo watched intently as the boy threw his head back at the feel of their cocks brushing against each other. In the next moment, his head lifted up to stare down at them.

“Mmm, I knew it,” Neymar commented as he thrust their bodies together and threw his head to the side moaning.

“What?” Leo asked desperately, licking down Neymar’s neck and panting persistently.

“I, uh, may have made a bet claiming that you had a big dick, and I most definitely won, so thank you for that.”

“Oh my god,” Leo admonished groaning, “How old are you?”

Neymar giggled into Leo’s hair, “Obviously you think I’m old enough to be touched like this.” After a beat he laughed again, body shaking beneath Leo. “Which could mean nothing actually, because you might be a pedophile, but I guess I’ll take my chances.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Leo huffed out, groaning again into Neymar’s neck, “Just shut up.”

“Do you kiss your mother with that…”

“Neymar…” Leo warned.

“…mouth because I’m sure she-”

Leo slapped one hand across Neymar’s mouth and used the other to grip his cock. He faintly heard Neymar whimper from below his hand, eyes closing in pleasure. Neymar wrapped one of his legs behind Leo’s back and gripped his hair fiercely. His hips lurch upwards, helping to move his cook in and out of Leo’s big hand.

Clearly upset with the hand that covered the lower half of his face though, Neymar childishly licked at it. Leo, who found he was having trouble jerking Neymar off like he wanted to, laughed as he removed his hand from Neymar’s mouth. He smirked as Neymar’s eyes lit up with its removal, but then quickly frowned as Leo’s other hand moved away too. The frown deepened as the hands switched places, allowing Leo to jerk him off more easily while also keeping him quiet. 

“Thanks babe,” Leo said chuckling. “I needed that.” Leo’s laughter only continued to grow as Neymar’s eyes darkened and his brows furrowed in irritation. 

At the first sign of precome, Neymar’s face finally softened and his eyes shut in pleasure again. His back arched up against Leo and his hands moved to grip the sheets. Leo, tired of holding his hand against Neymar’s mouth, removed it in time to hear Neymar moan sweetly. Wishing to taste his noises, Leo softly pressed his lips to Neymar’s. Neymar reacted immediately, kissing him back and letting his moans be swallowed. Both of them took turns sucking at each other’s bottom lip, kneading and biting them tenderly.

Unable to deny himself any longer, Leo grasped both of their cocks together, breaking away from the kiss to pant against Neymar’s ear. Neymar’s lips kept moving, opening and closing in ecstasy. His body shuddered beneath Leo’s as his head drew back with a moan. Sweat dripped from both of their bodies, mixing together on Neymar and the bed. The sweat allowed Leo to glide his hand easily against both their cocks, but the process slowed significantly. Neymar, realizing this in annoyance, desperately reached his hand down to help with jerking Leo’s cock to speed up the affair.

His palm delicately rubbed Leo’s cock, stirring pleasure deep in Leo’s stomach. Neymar’s fingers gently skimmed down Leo’s cock and over the head. They fluttered lightly over the skin and caused Leo jolt at their touch. An orgasm was washing over Leo quickly, so he sped his own hand up to bring Neymar to completion. 

Their lips found each other one last time before their orgasm took over their nervous systems. Leo grasped both of their cocks together again as Neymar’s hand fell lax. Neymar’s body shook violently as he let his orgasm take over. His limps shot out to grip various parts of Leo’s body desperately, looking for something to keep him grounded. Leo crashed his body down on top of him to stop his movement and to reassure him he wasn’t alone. Accompanying the myriad of noises Neymar had let out during his orgasm, a sigh could be heard faintly at the pressure of Leo’s body against his. Leo smiled into the kiss as they painted each other’s body white.

They laid against each other for a few moments after to catch their breath. Leo was very reluctant to roll off of Neymar, but he feared he was crushing his fragile body, so he flipped over onto the other side of the bed. Immediately Neymar whined and rolled over to lay on his side, cuddling against Leo’s shoulder.

“It’s so cold,” Neymar remarked, pulling Leo’s arm to wrap around him and pretending to use it as a blanket for dramatic effect. Leo was chilly too, if his nipples showed anything, but he didn’t want to ruin his blankets with their come. He instead located his wand quickly and pushed the curtain aside, letting even more cold air in. Neymar whined louder, shoving his face into Leo’s neck and shuffling closer. Leo grip on him tighten as he whispered, “Accio towel.”

One of his towels extracted itself from his drawer and flew over to them in the dark room. Once it reached inside the bed space, Leo used his wand to flick the curtains closed. “Aguamenti,” he whispered to wet the towel. He then used it to clean the two of them off quickly, ignoring Neymar’s protest and complaints.

“Why must you torture me?” Neymar whined. He lay shivering slightly as Leo cleared off the last of the cum with an eye roll. “Hey, I saw that!”

“And I don’t care,” Leo countered with a wiggle of his eyebrows. He folded the towel up and reached outside the curtain to set it on his bedside table. Then he looked down only now remembering to ask, “Um, are you staying?” Leo silently tried to convince himself that if Neymar said no he wouldn’t be hurt, that it would probably be better if he left now instead of staying the night and messing further with his dreams. They hadn’t discussed the matter before, and he can’t say he had thought this far ahead to expect any answer. 

“Of course I’m staying!” Neymar exclaimed, grinning confidently.

“Oh okay, cool, yeah. Do you want, uh, one of my shirts to sleep in, then? Or pants? Or anything?

“Hmm,” Neymar hummed mischievously. “You’d probably like it if I slept in nothing, but sadly it is too cold for that, so just a long sleeve shirt would do, please.”

Leo smiled as he reached outside the curtain to summon a long sleeve shirt for Neymar and a pair of sweats for himself. They both pulled their clothing on quickly and got under the covers in record time. Leo laid there awkwardly on his back as Neymar got himself situated on the other side of the bed. He wasn’t sure whether he was supposed to offer up his comfort in any way or whether they were to lay cordially on either sides of the bed. Luckily for him, he didn’t have to make a decision, because once Neymar had fixed his bearings, he flung his body down to lay on top of Leo’s side with a leg and an arm thrown over Leo’s body. 

“Thank you,” Neymar murmured against his collar bone.

Leo asked confusedly, “Why are you thanking me?”

“For everything you’ve done for me today. Indirectly, defeating Slytherin and allowing me to brag about how great my boyfriend is. Also, for not getting killed and for giving me that amazing orgasm.” The last comment made Leo blush as Neymar giggled. “But seriously, thank you.”

“But I didn’t really do anything for you, and you brought me off, too.”

“Yeah but… but,” Neymar scrambled to find the words to explain his gratitude. “But you’re sharing yourself with me, you’re letting me share these things with you. That’s why I’m thankful.”

Leo shook his head, “You don’t have to thank me.”

“But I wanted too so I did, no takesy backsies.” Leo heart soared as Neymar let out a chuckle against his throat. He effectively pulled Neymar closer to his body with his arms, prompting their legs to tangle together. Neymar in turn snuggled his face farther into Leo’s neck and whispered, “Goodnight babe.”

Leo responded with a silent, “Sweet dreams, cariño,” but by then Neymar was already beyond his reach. Following suit, Leo laid his head on the pillow and waited for sleep to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He's just so naïve I know, thinking Neymar doesn't want him. Next chapter he will get to see just how much Neymar wants him. Hope you liked this one though, and thanks for reading.


	12. Too Much Teasing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Hufflepuff's win over Slytherin is happy one filled with jokes for Leo and Neymar, but Neymar's bet with his other Gryffindor friends and their date tonight leave Leo feeling apprehensive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! It's been about 10 years now, tell me, how are the kids? Already married? Wow I've missed a lot! XD  
> Okay but seriously, I'm so sorry for the wait! December was crazy busy and crazy shitty so time was limited, and Christmas was even more hectic. This has been the first time I've touched my computer since I posted the last chapter, so writing hasn't exactly been easily accomplished. But without further ado, here is a little chapter of Leo's and Ney's every growing relationship. It's almost purely fluffy fun with introductions of two long over due characters. Enjoy!

The next morning Leo and Neymar woke up to the curtain being pulled open violently. The action caused bright lights to shine down on their faces, disrupting the two lovers’ sleep. Mats stood above them, staring down at their compromising form. 

Neymar groaned from his place on top of Leo. During the night he had shifted over to lay completely on top of Leo with the blanket over half way down his back. The introduction to light caused him to move upwards so he could shove his deeper between Leo’s neck and the pillow. The movement simultaneously caused the blanket to shift lower, falling just below Neymar’s ass, which was peeking out from beneath Leo’s shirt that he was wearing. 

Mats eyes shifted downwards on instinct just as Leo’s did too. A tense second passed before Leo decided the best decision he had was to flip them over so Neymar was underneath and he was on top. This tactic proved successful in hiding his boyfriend’s ass but not at hiding his annoyance. 

“What the hell, Leo? Close the fucking curtain and stop messing around, it’s too early for this and I’m not in the mood to experiment in exhibitionism,” Neymar huffed out as he buried his face under a pillow.

Mats laughed from his unwelcomed spot next to the bed. “Even in the morning he’s so quick witted.” 

At the sound of another voice, Neymar moved his head out from beneath the pillow to see the owner of it. A moment passed by before he was able to decipher what was going on, and by then Leo was able to pull the blanket back over them to hide their bodies once again. Neymar snuggled his body close to Leo’s once again, groaning as he asked, “What are you doing here, Stegs?”

Mats smiled down at them teasingly, “I innocently enough came to see what Leo had planned for today, but as I can see now I will be forced to ask the both of you.”

Neymar countered with his eyes still closed, “No one’s forcing you to do anything, you’re just too nice of a guy to do anything mean like ignoring me.”

Leo snorted at his boyfriend’s observation as he remarked, “I don’t have anything planned.” 

“Well good, because you two are going on a double date with me and Rafa,” Mats explained.

“So I was included in the asking anyways!” Neymar exclaimed.

“Yes, I suppose so. Rafa was supposed to be the one to ask you though. Anyways, just come down for lunch, since you guys already missed breakfast, and we’ll discuss it further, okay?” 

Both Leo and Neymar gave their verbal agreement reluctantly. Upon their yeses, Mats stared down at Leo pointedly, wiggling his eyebrows and winking while also openly pointing at Neymar’s resting form. Leo rolled his eyes at him and waved his hand dismissively. 

“Ok,” Mats said, positively beaming now, “I’ll see you there. But you might want to try to cover up those hickeys on your neck, and your shoulder, and your chest. I think saw some bruises on your hips, Ney, so you might want to use ‘Episkey’ to get rid of them.”

“Mmm,” Neymar hummed, “But I like them. They make me feel branded by him, and that my friend, dear Marcus,” Neymar said, opening his eyes to wink at Mats and snuggling impossibly closer to Leo, “Turns me on.”

Mats rolled his eyes at Neymar’s laughter and Leo’s blush. “Well I don’t care what turns you on so please keep information like that to yourself.”

Leo, feeling left out and a little upset that all the focus was on his boyfriend’s sexual aesthetics, declared, “I know what turns you on, Mats.” He waited a beat to continue, giving time for the attention to turn just to him. “Don’t think I didn’t hear you and Rafa the other day.” Mats looked at him quizzically, while Leo returned the expression for dramatic affect and asked, “What was that word you told him to call you?” 

Leo smirked as the color drained from Mats’ face. He watched the blonde boy’s whole body go ridged with fear at the prospect of Leo’s next words. Slowly he took a step backwards and shook his head slowly, pleading with his eyes for Leo to shut up.

Leo wiggled his eyebrows as he turned to Neymar saying, “This kinky little bastard demanded that Rafa called him ‘vati’.” The sound of the door slamming was the last thing Leo heard before he burst out laughing.

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Neymar insisted, confusion written all over his face.

After Leo caught his breath he explained, “Ah, vati means daddy in German.”

Neymar looked at him with wide eyes and the two of them burst out laughing. “Oh my god! ‘Kinky little bastard’ is so right! I can’t wait to tease Rafa about this!”

The two carried on laughing until their stomachs hurt. As their laughter died down, they found themselves clinging to each other. Neymar was once again on top of Leo with his face buried in his neck. Leo’s hands sought out Neymar’s hair, teasing it with pulls and scratches. 

Reluctantly, Leo pulled Neymar’s head up so he could see him as he spoke. “I think we should get up now.”

“Ugh,” Neymar groaned, laying his head back down on Leo’s chest. “But I don’t want to.”

“We’ll have to eventually, we might as well do it now since we’re awake.”

“Mmm, fine. But I’m not happy about it.”

“Neither am I.”

“Then let’s just stay here forever.”

“We can’t do that.”

“Why not?” Neymar asked, tone suddenly seriously.

“Because,” Leo began, desperately trying to think of something to lighten Neymar’s mood again. “We would run out of lube eventually.”

Neymar sat up to look down Leo. He stared at him seriously for a minute before his face broke out in a huge grin. He quickly leaned forward to capture Leo’s lips with his own. They kissed each other slowly, enjoying all that the other one had to give. Their hands didn’t wander much and they didn’t suck at each other necks, but the kiss was passionate all the same. It was much like their first one in the library. Just like then, they were content to keep it simple instead of furthering it with hands and clothes. All they needed were each other’s lips. 

As slow as they were kissing, they broke away at the same rate to stare at each other happily. Leo rubbed his hands through Neymar’s hair again while Neymar stroked his cheek. The scene was so loving, the moment so sweet, which is probably why it had to be ruined by the one and only Marc Bartra.

“Leo have you seen Andre anywh- Oh I’m so sorry. Jesus, God, I didn’t… I’m so sorry. Never mind I’ll find him somewhere else. Just, uh, carry on. Oh my God.” The door shut again leaving them the only two in the room. Although Marc had been the one to open the door and get the best look at them, Leo did see a few other sixth years lurking in the background, including Arda. Leo was in no doubt that the kid saw them, and he found that he couldn’t help but be happy that he did. ‘Maybe that will give him a hint’ Leo thought.

Once again though, Leo had turned them over to hide Neymar from view of his fellow House mates. This time he shut the curtain afterwards, cursing Mats silently under his breath. 

Neymar giggled from underneath him. “God, you’re so paranoid! I was under the sheet fully this time, there was no way they could see anything.”

Leo began ranting as he explained to Neymar, “Yeah well, I don’t like them looking at you. They are inappropriate and rude, and they shouldn’t be looking at you like that. I mean honestly you would think their parents raised them with more respect than that, but no, everyone just has to ogle you all the time in such demeaning ways. Like really what do they expect? For you to fall to their charms immediately and leave with them? You’re mine and mine only.” 

Leo paused in his speech as he realized what he just insinuated. His eyes went wide as he tried to retract his angry remark, “I mean not saying that you couldn’t! It’s your life and you can do whatever you want, I mean I obviously won’t stop you if you want to go off with them. You’re free to do whatever you want, of course. Ya know what, forget I said anything, just never-”

“Leo!” Neymar exclaimed, grabbing his attention. “Will you stop? I, in no way, want to go off with any of those sixth years. They can stare at me all they want, but I only have eyes for you. Stop being so down about yourself! I told you before, and I think I showed you last night, that I only want to be with you. Please stop thinking even for a second that I would want one of those other losers.”

Leo stared down at Neymar’s earnest eyes, willing himself to believe them. They made him feel more secure than before, but them again he hadn’t ever really felt all that secure in the first place. The words were nice, and Leo didn’t want to make a big deal about it so he apologized. “Sorry, you’re right. I’ll stop worrying about them.”

“Thank you!” Neymar replied, reaching up to kiss Leo’s mouth again, breaking away a second later he asked, “Now what was this about me being yours?”

Leo started blushing immediately at the memory of his words. “I didn’t mean it like, like that your mine, I just said like… I didn’t mean to say it.”

Neymar pouted, dramatically sticking his bottom lip out. “Really? Because I’ll be very put out if I wasn’t.”

“You want to be mine?”

Neymar laughed, shaking his head, “I’m already yours, silly, I just want you to call me that more often.”

Leo smiled, his cheeks permanently red from blushing. “Yeah okay, I think I could do that.”

“Good,” Neymar responded, wiggling out from underneath Leo. “Now that that’s settled, give me one of your shirts with your name on it so everybody else knows it too.”

Leo rolled his eyes as he stood up. He walked over to his bureau to pick out two shirts and another pair of sweat pants. He threw those on the bed and then reached back in to grab them both a pair of clean boxers.

“Oh,” Neymar said when Leo tried to hand him a pair. “I don’t need any.”

Leo looked at him in confusion. “You brought clean ones?”

“No.”

“Then yes you need them, Ney, I’m not letting you wear your dirty ones from last night.”

“I’m not wearing those either.”

“Then what the hell are you wearing?” Leo asked exasperated. 

Smirking, Neymar stood up from the bed. He removed his shirt as he moved to stand in front of Leo completely naked. He reached back to pick up the grey pair of sweatpants on the bed and put them on slowly. Then he stepped forward to brush his lips against Leo’s ear saying, “Nothing I suppose.”

Leo closed his eyes as Neymar pressed his hips right against him. He felt the slight indication of Neymar’s cock against his leg, and his own cock twitched at its touch. Leo moaned as he pushed Neymar back down onto the bed to rut against him. 

“Nope,” Neymar chided. “We have to go downstairs. Now put your clothes on so you can look somewhat presentable.”

“You have to put on boxers first. I’ll die knowing you don’t have any on,” Leo declared with his eyes closed as he continued to rut his hardening cock against Neymar’s. 

Neymar quickly slipped out from underneath him again and took large steps towards the door with a shirt in hand. He turned back to smirk at Leo, who was sprawled out on the bed looking up at him desperately. “And I will enjoy seeing that. Come outside when you’re dressed. Play nice and I promise I’ll get rid of your little problem there later.”

Leo glared as Neymar walked out of the room, hips swinging slightly with victory. He rushed to put his clothes back on to meet Neymar outside. After putting his shirt on, he switched his sleep pants out for boxers and a pair of silky sweatpants that would do better to hide his erection. He hissed as he maneuvered it into his boxers, adjusting it to hide himself.

He walked out of the room with a scowl on his face to find Neymar talking animatedly to Ali on one of the sofas. When he walked in, they both looked up at him smiling mischievously. 

“Hi sleepyhead, glad to see you awake,” Ali teased.

“Yeah, glad to see you get up. Are you excited for the day?” Neymar joked, smirk growing every second. 

Leo just grunted at them as he pulled Neymar up from the sofa. He waved back at Ali as they made their way through the door and then up the stairs. Neymar let himself be pulled by his hand as he laughed at his own innuendo. Leo just rolled his eyes and released Neymar’s hand as they crossed the Entrance Hall and into the Great Hall.

They founded Mats with Rafa in their usually spot at the end of the Gryffindor table. Luis and Masche were sitting next to them playing a game of Wizard’s chess. By now in the school year, no one thought it was weird that any of their friends, no matter what House they were in, sat there. A few of them had been apprehensive when Luis and Masche started to sit at the Gryffindor table since they were in Slytherin, but after Luis laughed his high-pitched girly chuckle for the fifth time and Masche didn’t kill Geri when he rubbed his bald head, they had become more at ease with their presence. 

“Hey guys, beautiful day isn’t?” Neymar asked sitting down.

“It was until I had to see your ugly face,” Masche announced, staring fixedly at the chess board. “Knight to F5.” Luis let out a soft dammit as Masche’s piece cut his bishop in half, much to Masche’s delight.

“Hey!” Neymar protested. “My face is beautiful, Leo tell him my face is beautiful!” He exclaimed, tugging insistently on Leo’s arm as they sat down across from Mats and Rafa. 

“Professor Beckham has a gorgeous face,” Leo teased as he loaded his plate with food. To Neymar’s dismay, everyone laughed at his indignant ‘Hey!’

“Okay, okay,” Luis said, trying to calm down. “Why are you so happy today?”

Neymar smirked as he explained, “Well amongst other things, I won the bet!” Leo’s face went completely pale at his words. He turned to Neymar with a glare shaking his head.

“What bet?” Luis asked.

“No, Ney we are not discuss-” Leo began.

“Mhmm well,” Neymar went on, ignoring him completely, but also making a point to pat his leg. “One day Geri, Dani, and Adriano were teasing me about Leo, insinuating sexual things and such, so I may have made the claim that my boyfriend here had a bigger dick than all of them, only to try and shut them up, but Adriano took it seriously and therefore the bet was formed. And well, as of last night, I know for a fact that he does!”

“Neymar!”

“Wow really? Congratulations Leo,” Luis said, patting his shoulder with a smile.

“Excuse me, but has everyone here seen each other’s dicks then?” Leo questioned with an astonished tone.

“I personally have not, but I just assume they’re all decent size, so yours must be have a pretty big one to beat them,” Masche commented, still not looking up from the board.

“Oh my god, why are we discussing this?” Leo speculated as he groaned into his hands. At his next thought, he picked his head up and stared pointedly at Neymar. “What about you? Does that mean you’ve seen their dicks then?”

Neymar rolled his eyes as he answered, “Calm down, I happen to share a locker room with them and I do as guys do by comparing them absentmindedly. It’s no big deal, Leo. Your dick is the only one for me.” Neymar leaned forward to kiss his cheek will simultaneously dropping his hand into Leo’s lap to seize his cock through his clothes. Leo gasped at his actions and stared at him with wide eyes.

“Stop it with you hand,” he whispered to Neymar, who again ignored him. Then he said louder, “I still don’t think I’m ok with you looking at them down there.”

Rafa cut in to help Neymar’s case, “C’mon Leo, you won didn’t you? Be happy that your boyfriend had so much faith in you in the first place.”

“Plus, you can’t tell us that you’ve never caught yourself looking at other boys in the locker room,” Mats added.

“Yeah, it’s only natural to do that so calm down, the kid just wanted another reason to boast about how amazing you are, if he already didn’t have enough,” Luis explained.

Neymar rubbed his hand against Leo’s cock and pushed their faces together. “Yeah Leo, I did it all just to defend your name.”

Leo groaned, pulling his face away from Neymar’s with an annoyed look. “Whatever, just stop making bets about my dick.”

“Of course sweetie!” Neymar exclaimed, planting a wet kiss against his cheek again and pushing more firmly on his cock. Leo pretended his groan was about his dislike of Neymar’s kiss, when really it was from the pleasure he felt. Luckily, Masche was the only one on their side of the table, and he was way too focused at the game to notice Neymar’s wandering hand. Still, Leo glanced around furiously to make sure no one was watching. He pushed Neymar’s hand away roughly when he saw some few students enter the Hall.

A second later Masche let out a whoop, making all five of them jump. “Checkmate, motherfucker!” Together they watched as Masche’s Queen completely demolished Luis’ King.

“Awe dammit,” Luis whined as Masche set about fixing the pieces and setting the game back up. As he waited for him to finish, Luis took a bite of his hamburger and asked, “So, Ney, how big are we talking?” 

Neymar’s eyes lit up excitedly. “Mmm so big, like gigantic! Here,” he said, pointing at the bread basket, “Hand me one of those.”

Leo groaned as his boyfriend took a bread stick from Luis, “Neymar no, I thought we were done discussing this. Seriously stop it, they don’t need to know,”

“It’s not like they get to see the real thing Leo, besides, as we just explained, I’m boosting about you. Anyways, Luis, we’re gonna say it’s about this big, and this wide,” Neymar explained, showing the girth with his fingers in a circle and the length by comparison to the bread stick. 

Quickly, Leo batted it from his hand and grabbed the other hand too. “Stop it, right now.” Leo’s tone had a finality in it that made Neymar lower his hands and look down in shame. Leo’s glare turned from Neymar’s face to his food as he tried to continue on with his meal. The mirth from the others seamed to die away as they watched the two of them.

The silence carried over long enough for Leo’s guilt to overtake him. “Uh,” Leo began, clearing his throat, “What is it you have planned for tonight, Mats?”

“Oh um,” Mats stuttered out surprised, “Rafa and I were gonna go to the Astronomy Tower because he apparently can’t find the Pegasus constellation, and although I’m good at finding them, I know you’re better, and I just thought that it would be fun for the four of us to hang out together. We haven’t really had the chance, ya know.”

“What are we, chop liver to you guys?” Luis asked. He and Masche were looking at all of them with annoyed face, eyebrows furrowed and lips pinched. 

“Well you guys can come too, but only if you’re dating. It’s supposed to be romantic,” Rafa explained.

“Well actually Masche,” Luis said, “I’ve always thought you had a pretty bald he-”

“Shut the fuck up, Suarez,” Masche hissed, practically baring his teeth at him. 

Luis laughed in his face as he picked his burger back up. “C’mon off it Masche, I was just joking. And thanks for the offer, Rafa, but no, we’re not dating so it’d be awfully awkward.”

Rafa answered him back and Mats continued to tease Masche. Leo took this moment to turn to Neymar, who was picking at his fries dismissively.

“Hey so, do you want to go tonight? We don’t have to or anything, we could do something else, or you could do something else, I don’t know what you have plan-”

“No, we can go,” Neymar interrupted, still not looking up from his plate.

Leo sighed, putting his hand on Neymar’s thigh and leaning forward to whisper in his ear, “Are you okay?”

Neymar finally turned to look at Leo mischievously and answered, “Yeah, I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

“How badly I want to suck your cock right now.” 

Leo stilled. He looked back at Neymar with wide eyes and his mouth agape. He stole his hand back quickly when Neymar shifted his leg to make it fall farther down and dangerously close to his crotch area. Neymar’s laugh was loud and joyous and his smile vibrant as ever. Leo closed his eyes in frustration, groaning when Neymar leaned heavily into him and he felt a hand make his way into his lap.

“So are you too lovebirds coming or what?” Rafa asked, staring over at the two of them. 

Leo looked down at Neymar, who was resting his head against the former’s shoulder. Neymar turned his head to stare up at him upside down, eyelashes fanning against his upper eyelids and his sly smile causing his lips to squeeze together tightly.

Without looking up, Leo answered Rafa, “Yes, we’ll be there.”

 

After lunch, the two of them reluctantly parted ways to get ready for the night. They both had some homework to finish, and Neymar had promised Adriano he would work on a Quidditch move together. The four of them, including Rafa and Mats, decided to meet up on the seventh floor at 10 o’ clock. Leo would get the key, Mats would bring the food, and the Brazilians insisted that bringing their sexy selves was already gifts enough.

Currently, Leo was scouring his wardrobe for something to wear. He usually didn’t concern himself with this type of thing, but after Mats laughed at him for putting on a flowered button down he figured that Neymar wouldn’t appreciate his sense of style either. It was times like these that Leo really appreciated their uniforms. 

“Will you stop freaking out about tonight?” Mats questioned from Leo’s bed. He was laid across it precariously, surrounded by Leo’s clothes as he nonchalantly threw an oversized plush Snitch toy in the air.

Leo continued to search through his clothes, brooding over Mats’ words. Of course he was relaxed about tonight, he was the king of charm. But for Leo, the whole night would be dictated on how well he can keep up with his best friends and his boyfriend as they carelessly bonded the entire night.  
During their study dates, Neymar would take care most of the talking and leave Leo to listen and comment occasionally, which is probably what Mats expects to happen tonight. And on any other day, Leo would be fine with that, fine with letting Neymar do all the talking. But after Neymar uncharacteristically freaked out when he touched his ass last night, Leo couldn’t help but be surprised at his action. Of course he was also surprised Neymar was still in his bed the next morning, and he really was trying to take everything a step at a time, but the mess of his clothes on his bed right now showed the real organization of his thoughts.

“You just need to chill, alright?” Mats continued. “Neymar already likes you, and if your hickeys from last night show anything, it’s that he really, really likes you. So just don’t freak out about tonight, and just enjoy, okay?” 

Leo sighed exasperatedly, spinning to look at Mats and waving his arms around dramatically. “You weren’t- He didn’t- I can’t- ah!” He exclaimed, groaning as he threw yet another shirt on the bed.

“Whoa Leo, what’s wrong?” Mats asked, sitting up to stare at him seriously. 

Leo looked down, angry at himself for blowing up like that and making Mats question him now. “It’s nothing, never mind.”

“Oh c’mon Leo, it’s obviously something. I’m your best friend, you’re entitled to tell me these things.”

‘No I’m really not,’ Leo thought. “It’s just… do you think Neymar’s experienced?”

“How? Like sexually? Yes, I mean he’s a very attractive guy and I’m sure you weren’t the first to notice that. And with how many sex jokes he makes a day, I would say he knows a thing or two,” Mats answered truthfully.

“Well,” Leo began, “I do too. And that doesn’t bother me, it’s not like I’m a prude, or that I haven’t done anything in my teenage life-”

“But…?”

Leo sighed, “But last night, thinking that I needed to do more for him or something I guess, I let my hand casually drop to his, um, ass and he rejected me.”

“Rejected you how?”

“He said he didn’t want to do anything like that, and that he would just settle for a handjob, which personally I think is a good first step to all of that other stuff, but I can’t help but be worried about his weird response. I mean he seemed kinda disgusted or annoyed maybe. ”

Leo looked over to see Mats shaking his head.

“What?”

Mats sat up and leaned back on his hands. “See this is what I mean by don’t freak out. You’re overthinking everything! I’m sure there’s a good reason to why he didn’t want to go that far. One of them very might well be that he didn’t want to go that far too fast, or maybe he wasn’t feeling up for it. He could have had beans for dinner, or maybe he saw your over grown fingernails and decided he didn’t want to bleed last night.” 

Leo sighed loudly as Mats laughed at his own joke. He picked up one of the few shirts he had left in his drawer and threw it at the laughing guy’s face.

“Look, Leo, all I’m saying is that you have to stop jumping to conclusions. Just because Neymar didn’t want to go all the way last night doesn’t mean he doesn’t like you. I know that he does. Besides, you don’t like rushing into these things anyways, why is this such a big deal?”

“Because I know that he does rush into things,” Leo answered simply, sitting down next to Mats on the bed. “I just… God, okay, I really like him. He’s the first guy that I’ve dated that I actually want to stick around for a while longer. And you know how much I like being alone, so this is a new thing for me, and you also know how good I am at pushing people away. Trying to keep someone close is just so nerve-wracking.”

“Well you haven’t pushed me away.”

Leo snorted, “But that’s because you wouldn’t let me, you just stupidly kept coming back.”

“It wasn’t stupid, I got myself a best friend out of you,” Mats said with a smile, nudging Leo’s shoulder lightly.

“And now you’re paying for it,” Leo replied.

Mats shook his head. “No, I’m not. But I might get upset if you make me late to this date.”

“Well, you’re the one who made me change in the first place!”

“That’s because that shirt was ugly. Here,” Mats said, holding up the shirt that Leo had thrown at him. “Wear this with a pair of jeans. Oh, and also a big coat because it’s cold out.”

“Ok, mom,” Leo replied, taking the shirt from Mats’ hands. It was a white thermal long sleeve, which he ended up pairing with dark blue jeans, a green scarf, and brown lace-up boots. Mats was wearing a simple black t-shirt, an ice-blue jacket that matched his eyes, jeans, and black tennis shoes.

Grabbing a coat on the way, Leo walked over to their door, but Mats stopped him from leaving. Leo turned to him with a questioning face and waited for Mats to talk.

Mats sighed, “Like I said, just don’t freak out. Technically, Rafa and I have been dating longer so don’t feel like you need to like match us or anything. As long as you relax and don’t think about everything too much, you should be fine. Just remember that Neymar likes you, and he’s not going to break up with you if you don’t talk as much as him.”

“Thanks, Mats, I’ll try,” Leo replied. 

Mats reached forward and pulled him into a big hug. His hugs were the best, always so warm and tender. His body completely encompassed Leo’s, and his arms were wrapped tightly around his back while Leo’s arm strain to reach past his shoulders. Mats hand patted and rubbed Leo’s back firmly, keeping him sedated and trapped. Leo didn’t try to break away though, he never would. These hugs were Leo’s life line sometimes. They kept him sane and safe. They reminded him that through everything, he still had Mats, and that he still could count on him to have his back. The hugs sometimes kept Leo from falling into a dark place. They gave him the light to see and the strength to go on. Every time they happened, Leo was reminded how lucky he was to have a friend like Mats. He was always so surprised how much comfort they could bring him, even at the worst of times. 

Reluctantly, Leo let Mats break away from the hug. He smiled down at Leo, thinking that he had fixed his perception for the night. And although the hug did provide some relief, Leo knew that his worries would come back eventually. He knew that at some point during the night he would look up and feel so alone as Neymar carried on with the other two like Leo wasn’t there. It was bound to happen, there was no discerning that. Mats could try to get him to see the bright side of it all he wanted but Leo knew that horribly feeling would come to encompass him. 

But for now, the feeling of the hug was still fresh in his mind, and as the two of them went to meet their boyfriends, Leo decided to focus on that feeling now instead of the other one that would come later. At least now he could feel wanted.


	13. Awkward and Confusing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neymar and Rafa finally make it to their double-date with their boyfriends in the Astronomy Tower. The only problem is that Leo is acting strange, and Neymar doesn't understand why.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my God, I know right. You probably thought you were hallucinating or something when you saw this story pop up, but I swear you aren't! Okay so yeah, I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I last updated, but I haven't been inspired at all to write another chapter. Such a drag I know. Add my lack of inspiration to the limited time I've had to write and you'll realize why it's been so long. So yeah, here ya go. It might not be as perfect as you, or I, have been hoping for, but it's a step in the right direction for the rest of the story.

By the time the two Brazilians made it to the Gryffindor common room after finishing their homework and practicing a little bit of Quidditch, Neymar was sure Rafa was going to kill him.

“Neymar, I swear to God-”

“Don’t you mean you swear to ‘vati?”

“Dammit Neymar, just shut up or I’ll-”

“What are you gonna do? Spank me, daddy?”

Rafa groaned excessively at Neymar’s laughter as they entered Neymar’s room. They ignored Sandro and Munir who were lounged across each other on one of their beds in favor of scouring Neymar’s wardrobe for clothes. For their entire life they had more or less been the same size, so they were luckily able to borrow each other’s clothes whenever they needed to.

Rafa immediately dove into the shirt pile to find a light orange t-shirt with a wide neck. He paired it with light wash jeans and white converse. 

His search took him a matter of five minutes, and in another five he was finished getting ready. Neymar on the other hand took 30 more minutes to pick out an outfit and situate his hair correctly. Deciding whether or not to wear a hat took him 10 minutes alone. He was content to look perfect for the night though, so when Rafa started bugging him about being late, Neymar would just crack another joke about his and Mats’ kink and that would be the end of it.

As they finally walked up to the seventh floor, Neymar couldn’t help but be satisfied with his outfit. He wore a light blue button down and a dark blue fitted vest over a pair of jeans and dark blue shoes. He decided not to wear a beanie, but only after Sandro and Munir yelled at him to “make a fucking decision.”

At the top of the last set of stairs, they found Leo and Mats sitting against separate walls and throwing a ball to one another. Upon seeing them there, Rafa bumped Neymar’s arm and raised his eyebrows mischievously. He then lifted his wand towards the ball they were throwing, and a second later the ball went flying into his other hand. 

“Hey!” Mats exclaimed, turning to the two Brazilians with an annoyed expression. Once he saw Rafa though, his eyes lit up, and he quickly jumped to his feet. He walked over to them and embraced Rafa with a warm kiss.

Neymar looked past the two love birds to find Leo’s eyes. Leo was already staring straight at him with a soft smile. He slowly stood up to meet Neymar half-way. When they reached each other, they seemed to be confused at what to do next. Neymar usually would walked over confidently and kissed Leo right on his mouth, but something about his demeanor made him second guess himself.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

“Uh, nice vest. It, um, it suits you.”

“Thanks, I, uh, like your scarf.”

“Oh, thanks.”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

The two just stood there for another moment until they heard Rafa moan behind Neymar. With a quick glance, Neymar saw Mats and him going at against the wall like they haven’t seen each other in months. He turned back to Leo laughing as he said, “We can’t take those two anywhere, huh?”

He meant it to be taken lightly, but Leo continued to stare at them with a frown. He looked back at Neymar with an indecisive expression. When he spoke, his voice sounded forced. “Come here.”

Neymar scrunched his eyebrows up and took a hesitant step towards him. Leo reached out to him and pulled him in close for a kiss. Neymar was surprised by Leo’s sudden action, and his gasp indicated as much. Leo held and kissed him harshly. He had a firm grip on Neymar’s arm leaving the younger one immobile. 

The kiss felt weird to Neymar, just like Leo’s voice did. It felt forced and tense. It felt nothing like their usual kisses did, which was passionate, loving, and sexy. When Leo pulled away, he was still frowning. His face fell even more when he saw Neymar’s confused expression. 

“Hey, sorry guys,” Mats said behind Neymar, breaking the tense atmosphere. “Sometimes we just get carried away I guess. Leo, how about you open up the door and we can get this show on the road?” They watched wordlessly as Mats went other and picked up a picnic basket off the ground. The blonde turned back to them with a wide smile and gestured towards the door.

“Yeah, sure,” Leo said in a monotone, moving robotically to unlock the door. He opened it to reveal a series of stairs that lead up to the Tower.

Neymar groaned out, “I’m so sick of stairs!”

“Stop being a baby,” Rafa replied as he started to climb the stairs with Mats trailing behind.

“I could levitate you up,” Leo said seemingly without thinking. After a silent beat of pure awkwardness, he quickly tried to restate his offer. “Wait no, no, I mean I could- if you- never mind,” he grumbled, turning to follow their friends up the stairs. 

Neymar watched him go in confusion, because although Leo could be dense sometimes, he was never like this. After a beat, Neymar followed him, deciding he was going to figure out what was going on with this boy.

 

Neymar’s entry into the tower came with harsh wind and cold air. He rushed over to Mats who was holding a stack of blankets and hastily took one. Mats laughed at his childish action but didn’t say anything. His action also brought a smile to Leo’s face so Neymar counted it as a win.

“So,” Neymar said, looking out into the night sky. “Why are we out here again?”

“So that Rafa can get a good grade in his Astronomy class and the four of us can hang out together,” Mats answered. 

“Okay, the second part sounds good, but how is he supposed to look at the stars when there’s so many clouds covering them?”

“There are spells and special telescopes for that, Neymar,” Rafa chided. 

“Oh, cool,” Neymar replied simply. He wrapped the blanket tighter around his body in the hopes it would stop his shivering, but it didn’t help too much.

“Here,” Leo said, coming up behind him. He placed a jar that held a blue flame in front of him. Although the flame did help make him a little warmer, Neymar wished Leo would just offer his body heat to warm him. 

“Leo…” Neymar began.

“Guys come over here and eat before the food gets cold.”

Reluctantly, Neymar grabbed the jar and followed Leo over to the other two boys who were setting up different types of food onto a blanket. They sat down across from the other two with some distance in between each other. Although Neymar was trying not to compare him and Leo to Rafa and Mats, he couldn’t help but notice that the latter two were practically sitting on top of each other. As Mats set the rest of the food down, Neymar stared over at Leo who seemed to be three seconds away from exploding with anxiety. In an attempt to calm him, Neymar shifted his hand to lay beside Leo’s. Right as he went to lay his pinky on top of Leo’s, though, Leo reached his hand out to take the mate from Rafa’s hands. 

“Want some?” Leo asked, turning towards him. 

Before Neymar could answer though, Rafa let out a laugh. “Neymar? Drinking mate? You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“What?” Leo asked dumbly.

Rafa giggled as he explained, “Neymar despises mate, like more than he despises hairy bodies.”

Neymar chuckled at Rafa’s comparison. His smile died, though, when Leo looked at him slightly mortified. “Yeah, no,” Neymar began to explain. “I hate mate, but you wouldn’t have any reason for knowing that since I’ve never said anything about it before. And I don’t hate hairy bodies, I just hate for mine to be.”

“Oh, okay,” Leo replied simply after a beat. He seemed to be lost for what to do, so Neymar took pity on him and scooched closer despite the warning sounds he heard going off in his head telling him that he should let Leo navigate them through the night. Because Neymar could easily take the reins and relieve Leo of all responsibility, but it wouldn’t be helpful to their relationship to let Leo hide the whole time. Neymar knew that if he really wanted their relationship to grow, he should make sure Leo grows too. 

Nonetheless, Leo smiled at him gratefully. “Okay,” he started. “No mate. What do you want then?”

“I don’t know. What else is there?”

“Um, there’s orange juice and water.”

“A water, please.”

Just like that, the rest of the night was back on track. Mats passed out the food to everyone, and conversation began to flow. They mostly discussed the game from yesterday with both the players and the spectators giving their variations of events. They joked about the Slytherin players and then about each other until Neymar went too far, as he usually does, and made one too many jokes about Mast and Rafa’s kink. Instead of pulling out his wand, though, to fight Neymar, Rafa launched his body across the blanket and tackled him. They wrestled each other for a bit while Mats and Leo cleaned everything up. 

It was obvious to Neymar that he wasn’t going to win the fight, so eventually he did pull out his wand and said, “Rictusempra.” Immediately Rafa let go of him in favor of holding his stomach as he fell into a fit of laughter.

“Mats,” Rafa whined out through his giggles. “Help me.”

Upon seeing his boyfriend in distress, Mats used the counter spell to stop the tickling hex. Then he rounded back on Neymar who was laughing at the whole thing, but the second he saw Mats pointing his wand at him, he immediately became somber. 

“Mats, come on. It was just a joke. You wouldn’t really hurt me, would you?” Neymar asked nervously, taking slow steps backwards. In response to Neymar’s question, Mats sent sparks out of his wand, hitting the wall just beyond the side of Neymar’s head. Neymar let out a yelp as he ducked down with his hands over his head, making Mats smile. Neymar looked up at Leo then when the latter let out a snort at his actions. “Leo,” he whined. “Aren’t you gonna save me?”

Leo, shaking his head at his overdramatic boyfriend, pulled out his wand and turned to face Rafa. With a quick flick of his wand, the Brazilian flew off the ground and into his arms. He turned the boy around to face Mats and held his wand to Rafa’s neck. “Okay Mats, what’s it gonna be? Rafa or revenge?”

Mats just smiled back at him and lowered his wand. Then with a smirk, he raised it again at the pair. Before Neymar could even blink, Rafa went flying into Mats’ arms. “My hero,” the younger Brazilian whispered dizzily. It seemed only natural when Mats leaned down to kiss his boyfriend with a smile still on his face. 

Neymar and Leo were again left to each other as the other couple made out. This time though, Leo didn’t hesitate. Instead, he quickly strode over towards Neymar and grasped his waist. They came together in a passionate kiss that made all of Neymar’s worries go away. It frightened Neymar a little bit that it only took one kiss from Leo to sedate his fears. 

Leo pushed and pulled them together tightly, but it wasn’t close enough. He started to take steps towards Neymar, backing them up against the stone wall roughly. When Neymar’s back came in contact with the wall, though, the young Brazilian let out squeal and pushed roughly against Leo. 

“Ow,” Neymar whined, rubbing at his lower back once Leo moved away. He turned around to look at what had poked him and saw a sharp rock sticking out of the wall. 

“Shit Ney, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry,” Leo said urgently, moving forward to comfort him and then moving away when he saw the rock. He turned away from Neymar as he let out a string of curse words. “Oh shit, I’m really sorry, Ney.”

Admittedly, it wasn’t Leo’s fault at all, and the last thing Neymar wanted to do was worry him, so he quickly muttered a healing spell to stop the bleeding. He then turned back towards Leo with what hoped looked like an embarrassed smile and said, “Oh Leo, stop it. I’m supposed to me the dramatic one, remember? And that’s exactly what I did here. My back barely skimmed the rock and I freaked out. You have no need to apologize.”

Leo looked at him skeptically, crossing his arms. “Are you sure?” He asked nervously. 

“Yes I’m sure.”

“Do you want me to look at it?”

“No, I want you to lighten up a little! I’m fine, you’re fine, and we’re all having a good time here. Just stop worrying about everything, okay? One wrong move isn’t going to drive me away,” Neymar said this in the hopes that Leo would agree with him and forget about it, but by the dejected look on his face, Neymar was sure he had done the opposite.

But then Leo agreed, “Yeah, you’re right, sorry. Let’s just go look at the stars.” When he looked up into Neymar’s eyes, Leo had a slight smile playing at his lips, but it didn’t come close to meeting his eyes. Neymar decided not to question it, though. Instead, he smiled back at Leo and picked a blanket up off the ground. This time he invited Leo to take the other side, and they wrapped each other up in it. They go stand next to Rafa and Mats who finally started working on Rafa’s homework. Leo helped them out whenever they’d asked, and Neymar couldn’t help but stare adoringly at him as he did. 

A little while later, when Rafa hadn’t asked for help in a while, Leo whispered out loud, “Compatibility.”

“Hmm,” Neymar hummed quizzically. 

“Oh, um, I mean our like Zodiac signs. For part of the Astronomy class you have to learn all about that stuff in correlation to the stars. I was just remembering that it said that Cancer, my Zodiac sign, and Aquarius, which I, uh, found out is yours, are compatible. But I mean all that stuff isn’t based on anything concrete. I was just thinking about it.”

“Oh, really? What else does it say about us?”

“Well,” Leo continued. “It says that our relationship can be a challenge, but depending on how hard we were willing to work for it, it should prevail. It says that you are adventurous whereas I’m more of a homebody. It means I’ll stick to the pack most of the time while you exercise your freedom.” Leo seemed to go quiet for second as if he’s lost in thought. Then he looked over at Neymar with a smirk and said, “It also says that if we have a strong emotional connection the sex will be really good.”

Neymar returned Leo’s smile at this statement and cuddled closer to him suggestively. He wrapped his arms around Leo’s middle and laid his head on his shoulder asking, “What do our constellations look like?”

“Here, I’ll show you,” Leo said happily, pulling out his wand. He turned them to face one of the rock walls, and he began to shoot out white sparks. He marked the stars themselves first on the wall for each constellation and then he drew line in between the dots to connect them. He then connected the two different constellations at the top of each. Neymar didn’t try to fight off his smile, but he did end up burying in Leo’s neck, unable to handle the corniness of it all. Leo made it even brighter when he kissed him on the head. 

“Okay,” Neymar let out shakily. “You think these two are done hanging out with us? Because I really want to suck you off right now,” Neymar whispered in Leo’s ear. He finished his declaration by licking at Leo’s jaw right below his ear. He smiled when he felt Leo shiver. 

“Yeah, I think they’re done with us,” Leo answered. They both glanced over at the other couple to find them hunched over Rafa’s Astronomy book. “Hey, guys,” Leo said a little louder. “Neymar and I are gonna take off, is that okay?”

“Yeah sure, that’s totally fine. Thank you for your help Leo. And thanks for not bothering us too much Neymar,” Rafa said to them with a smirk. Neymar just rolled his eyes at him and pulled Leo away from the Tower. They walked back down the stairs to the seventh floor with no idea where they were going. 

“Um, you can lead the way since you’ve been going to school here since forever,” Neymar pronounced. Leo looked around the hallway in concentration until his eyes lit up with an idea. He reached down to grab Neymar’s hand and he started pulling the younger boy towards the fifth floor. Once they got there, Leo went straight up to the fourth door and muttered something underneath his breath. When it opened, he pulled Neymar into the doorway. It opened up into a giant bathroom of sorts with a tub like swimming pool on one side and toilet stalls on the other. They stopped short from moving farther in the room so Leo could cast “Homenum Revelio” to make sure they were alone. 

“I mean it’s not much, and there’s obviously no bed, but it was all I could th- Mhh.” Neymar muffled Leo’s words with a kiss. He began to make out furiously with him, gripping at his arms, his back, and his head in an attempt to pull them closer. Leo let him do whatever he wanted with the kiss, and he made it as dirty as he could to show Leo he wanted to do more, so much more. 

Eventually, Neymar backed Leo up into a wall. Without another word, he dropped to his knees in front of Leo. He peeked up at Leo with a pleading look as he tugged at the older boys pants. He couldn’t get a clear read on Leo’s facial expression, but the bulge in his pants verified that he’s at least excited about the idea. He took Leo’s silence to mean that he wanted it too, so he went about getting Leo’s cock out. 

It was sometime later when Neymar had his nose pressed against Leo’s stomach that Leo finally made any indication that he was enjoying the blowjob. Up until then Neymar had been working furiously to get a noise out of the older boy, but it was until his cock hit the back of Neymar’s throat that Leo moaned and got a firm grasp on Neymar’s hair. From then on he used his grip to guide Neymar in bobbing his head. 

Neymar ceded all control to him, too. He moaned along with Leo to send vibrations against Leo’s cock in the hopes that he would grip his hair even harder, moan a little louder, or really just say anything to him about how good he was doing. He desperately wanted to know if he was doing good enough for Leo. He wanted to know things like whether or not he looked good while doing it or if this was the best blowjob Leo had ever received. But Leo stayed mute until right at the end after Neymar deemed Leo close enough for him to start jerking off his own cock when he let out a “God, you’re so sexy” in a deep raspy voice. Neymar came immediately without warning. He sucked Leo’s cock harshly causing the older boy to come too. Leo shot deep into his mouth, forcing Neymar to swallow it. It was only after he had calmed down that Neymar realized that Leo had grabbed his head on both sides and forced his cock farther down his throat than where he may have liked. 

He pushed off Leo to catch his breath. He sat back on his haunches and took quick, panting breaths. 

“Sorry,” Leo said sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to- to grab you like that. I kinda just lost myself in the moment.”

Neymar looked up at him with smile. “Don’t apologize, it’s totally fine. I’m just glad to see you were enjoying yourself.”

“Well, of course I was.”

“Why of course?”

“Because- Because it’s you,” Leo says simply, pulling his clothes back on and kneeling to sit beside Neymar.

“Go on,” Neymar said wishfully, hoping Leo would give him the praise he’s used to hearing.

Leo huffed and look at him amusement. “You’re just so good at it, and like experienced I can see. I mean I’ve never been with someone who could do it that good. You just looked so sexy doing it, so confident. I couldn’t put my thoughts to words when you… well you know. Anyway, I was going to offer to help you out too but as I can see you already did that.” The two of looked at Neymar’s pants which now had a wet spot in the front. Neymar looked away in embarrassment as Leo let out a chuckle. 

“I’m sorry, I just couldn’t help myself. All I could think about was how big your cock was and how good it will feel and I just- I lost it I guess.”

Neymar smiled as it was Leo’s turn for his face to go pink. Then the older boy gave him a strange look. He looked a second away from asking him something, but then he shook his head and said, “Well, I guess I understand that. Um, we better get going though if we don’t want to get caught for being out late, okay?”

“Okay,” Neymar sighed. He pushed himself slowly off the ground, trying to ignore the wetness of his underwear. Once they were both standing, Leo leaned in and kissed his mouth quickly, and then his cheeks, and his nose, and his forehead. Together they walked out the bathroom, eyes shining and lips smiling as if they were at the start of something new and exciting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, problems!  
> Yeah so most of the chapters from now on are gonna be like this (sad I know) but I need to get the point across that Leo and Neymar aren't the most perfect couple, and just like their Zodiac signs say, they have to work for their relationship. And just like Neymar said, for it to grow Leo has to grow too, but so does Neymar.   
> I hope you like this little chapter, and I promise I'll try to be more consistent in the future. I also might be posting this other story I've been working on to sometime this month, so be excited.


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